Impact Student Leadership Bible, NKJV

8/12/2019 Impact Student Leadership Bible, NKJV

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IMPACTTHE STUDENT LEADERSHIP BIBLE


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IMPACTTHE STUDENT LEADERSHIP BIBLE

Dr. Jay Strack

Executive Editor

Brent Crowe, M.Div., M.A.Associate Editor


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Impact: The Student Leadership Bible

2008 by Jay Strack

The Holy Bible, New King James Version

1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photo-

copy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or

articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville,Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson.Thomas Nelson is a registered

trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business,

fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail

[email protected].

The text of the New King James Version (NKJV) may be quoted or reprinted with-

out prior written permission with the following qualifications:

(1) up to and including 1,000 verses may be quoted in printed form as long as

the verses quoted amount to less than 50% of a complete book of the Bible

and make up less than 50% of the total work in which they are quoted;

(2) all NKJV quotations must conform accurately to the NKJV text.

Any use of the NKJV text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows: Scrip-

ture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson,

Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.

However, when quotations from the NKJV text are used in church bulletins, orders ofservice, Sunday school lessons, church newsletters, and similar works in the course of

religious instruction or services at a place or worship or other religious assembly, the

following notice may be used at the end of each quotation: NKJV.

For quotation requests not covered by the above guidelines, write to Thomas Nelson

Publishers, ATTN: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville,

Tennessee 37214-1000.

Printed in China

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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Introduction to Impact......................................................................................................vi

GC2: Love GodLove OthersMake Disciples ...........................................................viiiPreface to the New King James Version ...........................................................................xiContributors ..................................................................................................................xix

THE OLD TESTAMENT

Book Abbreviation Page

Genesis..........................Gen. ...................1Exodus..........................Ex.....................72

Leviticus........................Lev..................126Numbers.......................Num...............158Deuteronomy................Deut. ..............202

Joshua ...........................Josh.................244Judges ...........................Judg. ...............271Ruth.............................Ruth...............2991 Samuel .......................1 Sam. ............3052 Samuel .......................2 Sam. ............3451 Kings .........................1 Kin. .............3762 Kings .........................2 Kin. .............409

1 Chronicles..................1 Chr..............4412 Chronicles..................2 Chr..............470Ezra ..............................Ezra ................487Nehemiah .....................Neh. ...............519Esther............................Esth. ...............537

Job ................................Job..................546Psalms ...........................Ps. ..................582Proverbs ........................Prov. ...............692Ecclesiastes ....................Eccl. ...............729

Song of Solomon ..........Song ...............741Isaiah.............................Is. ...................748

Jeremiah ........................Jer. ..................824Lamentations.................Lam. ...............894Ezekiel ..........................Ezek. ..............903Daniel ...........................Dan. ...............958Hosea............................Hos.................978

Joel ...............................Joel .................990Amos ............................Amos..............997Obadiah ........................Obad. ...........1007

Jonah.............................Jon. ...............1010Micah ...........................Mic. ..............1014Nahum .........................Nah. .............1022

Habakkuk .....................Hab...............1026Zephaniah.....................Zeph.............1032Haggai ..........................Hag...............1038Zechariah......................Zech. ............1041Malachi.........................Mal...............1053

THE NEW TESTAMENT

Book Abbreviation Page

Matthew .......................Matt..............1061Mark.............................Mark.............1128Luke .............................Luke .............1161

John ..............................John ..............1217Acts...............................Acts ..............1276

Romans ........................Rom.............13271 Corinthians................1 Cor............13592 Corinthians................2 Cor............1379Galatians .......................Gal................1395Ephesians ......................Eph...............1406Philippians ....................Phil...............1423Colossians .....................Col. ..............14351 Thessalonians..............1 Thess..........14432 Thessalonians..............2 Thess..........1449

1 Timothy .....................1 Tim............14522 Timothy .....................2 Tim............1458Titus .............................Titus .............1470Philemon ......................Philem. .........1473Hebrews........................Heb. .............1476

James.............................James ............14931 Peter ..........................1 Pet. ............15062 Peter ..........................2 Pet. ............15181 John...........................1 John...........15232 John...........................2 John...........15333 John...........................3 John...........1535

Jude ..............................Jude ..............1538Revelation ....................Rev...............1541

Expanded Through the Grid Articles...........................................................................1565What You Want to Know, but Dont Know Who to Ask ..............................................157524/7 Counselor:Topical Index ....................................................................................1600


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IMPACT O F T H E B O O K

IDEA You cannot accept Jesus as Savior if you do not alsoaccept Him as Lord over your life. Jesus is God.(See especially John 20:2831).

MESSAGE Jesus call to salvation included a call to make Him Lord. Just asHe submitted to the will of His Father, we, too, are to submit toChrist. Only then can we truly know how to lead others. Almost

half the book is devoted to the Passion (the last week of Jesuslife). How do you respond under pressure or finish well? Lookto Jesus who, in His most difficult and trying times, had the clar-ity, love, and vision to invest in His followers.

PEOPLE Chief Priests, Jesus, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, Phar-isees, Pilate, Samaritan Woman, Twelve Disciples

AUTHOR John the beloved disciple and son of Zebedee wrote from hishome in Ephesus. His brother James was also one of Jesus dis-ciples. They were fishermen in Galilee before the Lord calledthem. His purpose was to convince people to believe in Christand experience eternal life.

CULTURE John lived a long life in Ephesus, the largest city in the Roman

province of Asia. John included incidents missing from the otherGospels such as Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, the sevenI am statements, and Jesus meeting with the SamaritanWoman, which shattered racial and religious bigotry. John fo-cuses on the deity of Jesus, yet He willingly humbled Himself tobe a servant, highlighted by washing the disciples feet, and lay-ing down His life to pay the penalty for human sinfulness. JohnsGospel was written much later than the other three Gospels.Christianity was now spreading all over the world.

TIMELINE AD 8090

1:15, 1114, 29; 3:3, 16; 6:51; 8:12; 10:2730; 11:25, 26; 13:34, 35;

14:16; 15:13; 20:30, 31

KEY SCRIPTURE

MEMORY VERSES

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THEETERNALWORD

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God. 2He wasin the beginning with God.

3

All things were madethrough Him, and without Him nothing wasmade that was made. 4In Him was life, and the lifewas the light of men. 5And the light shines in thedarkness, and the darkness did not comprehenda it.

JOHNSWITNESS: THETRUELIGHT6There was a man sent from God, whose

name wasJohn. 7This man came for a witness, to

bear witness of the Light, that all through himmight believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sentto bear witness of that Light. 9That was the trueLight which gives light to every man coming intothe world.a

10He was in the world, and the world wasmade through Him, and the world did not knowHim. 11He came to His own,a and His ownb didnot receive Him. 12But as many as received Him,to them He gave the right to become children of

God, to those who believe in His name: 13whowere born, not of blood, nor of the will of theflesh,nor of the will of man, but of God.

THEWORDBECOMESFLESH14And the Word became flesh and dwelt

among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory asof the only begotten of the Father, full of graceand truth.

15John bore witness of Him and cried out,saying, This was He of whom I said, He who

comes after me is preferred before me, for He wasbefore me.

16Anda of His fullness we have all received,and grace for grace. 17For the law was given

through Moses, butgrace and truth came throughJesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time.The only begotten Son,a who is in the bosom ofthe Father, He has declared Him.

A VOICE IN THEWILDERNESS19Now this is the testimony of John, when

the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalemto ask him,Who are you?

20

He confessed, and did not deny, but con-fessed,I am not the Christ.21And they asked him,What then? Are you

Elijah?He said,I am not.Are you the Prophet?And he answered,No.22Then they said to him,Who are you, that

we may give an answer to those who sent us?What do you say about yourself?

23He said:I am

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:Make straight the way of the LORD, a

as the prophet Isaiah said.24Now those who were sent were from the

Pharisees. 25And they asked him, saying, Why

JOHN 1:1 1218

1:5 aOr overcome 1:9 aOr That was the true Light which, coming

into the world, gives light to every man. 1:11 aThat is, His own

things or domain bThat is, His own people 1:16 aNU-Text reads

For. 1:18 aNU-Text reads only begotten God. 1:23 aIsaiah 40:3

Belief Five: Jesus Christ (John 1:118)

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who is perfect in all His ways. Jesus is at thesame time fully God and fully man, providing the bridge between an all-holy and righ-

teous God and sinful humanity. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life, and He ultimately

suffered and died on a cross in order to atone for our sins. Christ died, was buried, and

rose from the dead, and He will come again at the end of time (Is. 9:6, 7; Mic. 5:2; John

1:118; 8:58; 14:19; Acts 1:111; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 2:611; Col. 1:1323; 2:9, 10; Heb.

1:13; 4:15). See Through the Grid article on page 1569.

Thinking Christianly: Ten FoundationalBeliefs of a Christian WorldviewTHROUGH THE GRID


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then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, norElijah, nor the Prophet?

26John answered them, saying,I baptize with

water, but there stands One among you whomyou do not know. 27It is He who, coming afterme, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap Iam not worthy to loose.

28These things were done in Bethabaraa be-yond the Jordan,where John was baptizing.

THELAMB OFGOD29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward

him, and said, Behold! The Lamb of God who

takes away the sin of the world! 30This is He ofwhom I said,After me comes a Man who is pre-ferred before me, for He was before me. 31I didnot know Him;but that He should be revealed toIsrael, therefore I came baptizing with water.

32And John bore witness, saying, I saw theSpirit descending from heaven like a dove, andHe remained upon Him. 33I did not know Him,but He who sent me to baptize with water said to

me, Upon whom you see the Spirit descending,and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizeswith the Holy Spirit. 34And I have seen and testi-fied that this is the Son of God.

THEFIRSTDISCIPLES35Again, the next day, John stood with two of

his disciples. 36And looking at Jesus as He walked,he said,Behold the Lamb of God!

37The two disciples heard him speak, and theyfollowed Jesus. 38Then Jesus turned, and seeingthem following, said to them, What do youseek?

They said to Him, Rabbi (which is to say,when translated, Teacher), where are You stay-ing?

39He said to them, Come and see. They

came and saw where He was staying, and re-mained with Him that day (now it was about thetenth hour).

40

One of the two who heard John speak, andfollowed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peters brother.41He first found his own brother Simon, and saidto him, We have found the Messiah (which istranslated, the Christ). 42And he brought him to

Jesus.Now when Jesus looked at him, He said,

You are Simon the son of Jonah.aYou shall becalled Cephas (which is translated,A Stone).

PHILIP ANDNATHANAEL43The following day Jesus wanted to go to

Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him,Follow Me. 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida,the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip foundNathanael and said to him,We have found Himof whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets,wroteJesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46And Nathanael said to him, Can anything

good come out of Nazareth?Philip said to him,Come and see.47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him,

and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, inwhom is no deceit!

48Nathanael said to Him,How do You knowme?

Jesus answered and said to him,Before Philipcalled you, when you were under the fig tree, Isaw you.

49Nathanael answered and said to Him,Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!

50Jesus answered and said to him, Because Isaid to you,I saw you under the fig tree, do youbelieve? You will see greater things than these.

JOHN 1:501219

1:28 aNU-Text and M-Text read Bethany. 1:42 aNU-Text reads John.

The Bible refers to the world in two distinct ways. The first meaning of the world in-

cludes the cosmos of all created matter. This is the nature that exists all around us. The

other meaning of the world is the cosmos of the created, personal realm, which in-

cludes dealings with the social world of people, cultures, and societies.

Making Sense of Your World:The Bible and the World (John 1:10)THROUGH THE GRID


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51And He said to him, Most assuredly, I say toyou, hereafterayou shall see heaven open, and theangels of God ascending and descending uponthe Son of Man.

WATERTURNED TOWINE

2On the third day there was a wedding in Cana

of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.2Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited tothe wedding. 3And when they ran out of wine,themother of Jesus said to Him,They have no wine.

4Jesus said to her, Woman, what does yourconcern have to do with Me? My hour has not

yet come.5His mother said to the servants, Whatever

He says to you, do it.6Now there were set there six waterpots of

stone, according to the manner of purification ofthe Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallonsapiece. 7Jesus said to them, Fill the waterpotswith water.And they filled them up to the brim.8And He said to them,Draw someout now, andtake itto the master of the feast. And they tookit. 9When the master of the feast had tasted the

water that was made wine, and did not knowwhere it came from (but the servants who haddrawn the water knew), the master of the feastcalled the bridegroom. 10And he said to him,Every man at the beginning sets out the goodwine, and when theguests have well drunk, thenthe inferior.You have kept the good wine untilnow!

11This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana ofGalilee, and manifested His glory; and His disci-ples believed in Him.

12After this He went down to Capernaum,He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples;and they did not stay there many days.

JESUSCLEANSES THETEMPLE13Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand,

and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14And He foundin the temple those who sold oxen and sheepand doves, and the money changers doing busi-ness. 15When He had made a whip of cords, Hedrove them all out of the temple, with the sheepand the oxen, and poured out the changers

JOHN 1:51 1220

1:51 aNU-Text omits hereafter.

ANDREW: Keep First Things FirstJOHN 1:3541

In life, many people are defined by the last thing they did, but even more are known forthe first thing they did. Leaders can spend a lifetime overcoming a bad beginning. Books

are written of lives destroyed by doing the wrong first things. Leaders not only start by

doing the right first things, but continue to do so.

Andrew was Simon Peters brother. He was known as a follower of John the Baptist.When John the Baptist pointed out Jesus true identity, Andrew immediately became a

follower. A day spent with Jesus resulted in a life transformed with the knowledge thatthe Messiah had come (John 1:3541). Andrew was a leader who got it right.

His first action as a new believer was to find his own brother, Simon Peter, and tell him,

We have found the Messiah ( John 1:41). When the problem of feeding 5,000 peoplecame up, he was the first to bring a solution of faith: There is a lad here who has five

barley loaves and two small fish (John 6:9).

When foreigners came who wanted to meet Jesus, Andrew set up the meeting (John

12:12). Leaders like Andrew focus on the introduction of Jesus to a lost world as a firstthing in their lives.

theINSIDE INFLUENCERS


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money and overturned the tables. 16And He saidto those who sold doves,Take these things away!Do not make My Fathers house a house of mer-chandise! 17Then His disciples remembered that

it was written, Zeal for Your house has eatena

Me up.b18So the Jews answered and said to Him,

What sign do You show to us, since You do thesethings?

19Jesus answered and said to them, Destroythis temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20Then the Jews said, It has taken forty-sixyears to build this temple, and will You raise it up

in three days?21But He was speaking of the temple of Hisbody. 22Therefore, when He had risen from thedead, His disciples remembered that He had saidthis to them;a and they believed the Scripture andthe word which Jesus had said.

THEDISCERNER OFHEARTS23Now when He was in Jerusalem at the

Passover, during the feast, many believed in His

name when they saw the signs which He did.24But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, be-cause He knew all men, 25and had no need thatanyone should testify of man, for He knew whatwas in man.

THENEWBIRTH

3There was a man of the Pharisees namedNicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2This mancame 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 unlessGod is with him.

3Jesus answered and said to him, Most as-suredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, hecannot see the kingdom of God.

4Nicodemus said to Him, How can a manbe born when he is old? Can he enter a secondtime into his mothers womb and be born?

5Jesus answered,Most assuredly, I say to you,unless one is born of water and the Spirit, hecannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That whichis born of the flesh is flesh, and that which isborn of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not marvel that Isaid to you,You must be born again. 8The windblows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of

it, but cannot tell where it comes from andwhere it goes. So is everyone who is born of theSpirit.

9Nicodemus answered and said to Him,

How can these things be?10Jesus answered and said to him, Are you

the teacher of Israel, and do not know thesethings? 11Most assuredly, I say to you, We speakwhat We know and testify what We have seen,and you do not receive Our witness. 12If I havetold you earthly things and you do not believe,how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?13No one has ascended to heaven but He who

came down from heaven,that is, the Son of Manwho is in heaven.a 14And as Moses lifted up theserpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son ofMan be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Himshould not perish buta have eternal life. 16For Godso loved the world that He gave His only begot-ten Son, that whoever believes in Him should notperish but have everlasting life. 17For God did notsend His Son into the world to condemn theworld, but that the world through Him might be

saved.18He who believes in Him is not con-

demned; but he who does not believe is con-demned already, because he has not believed inthe name of the only begotten Son of God. 19Andthis is the condemnation, that the light has comeinto the world, and men loved darkness ratherthan light, because their deeds were evil. 20Foreveryone practicing evil hates the light and does

not come to the light, lest his deeds should be ex-posed. 21But he who does the truth comes to thelight, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that theyhave been done in God.

JOHN THEBAPTISTEXALTSCHRIST22After these things Jesus and His disciples

came into the land of Judea, and there He re-mained with them and baptized. 23Now John alsowas baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because therewas much water there.And they came and werebaptized. 24For John had not yet been thrown intoprison.

25Then there arose a dispute between someof

JOHN 3:251221

2:17 aNU-Text and M-Text read will eat. bPsalm 69:9 2:22 aNU-Text

and M-Text omit to them. 3:13 aNU-Text omits who is in heaven.

3:15 aNU-Text omits not perish but.


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L E A D E R S H I P I S S U E S

GC2: Encountering Jesus: The Startling Love of Jesus

JOHN 3:16 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.

Possibly the most familiar of all Bible verses is about a God who loves.

How startling it is when we begin to imagine the wonder of such love,

the miracle of the gift named Jesus!All across the pages of Scripture were touched by the uniqueness of the

God-Man, Jesus. Christs words were startling and His miracles amazing,

but everything He said and did was meant to call attention to how He

loved.Take a moment now to reflect on how Jesus loved people and how

He startled them with His love.

Jesus startled lepers by healing their bodies and bringing dignity to

their lives, sometimes even touching them in order to heal them(Luke 5:12, 13; 17:1119).

Christ startled a Samaritan woman when He broke all cultural conven-

tions by asking her for a drink of water. In the midst of her shame and re-

jection, the Savior entrusted her with a conversation about eternal things

(John 4:426).

Jesus startled the woman caught in adultery when He knelt down beside

her, joining her at the point of her hurt and providing protection for herlife. He dispersed her accusers with His words and then offered restoration

to her as He lovingly said,Woman, where are those accusers of yours?

Has no one condemned you? . . . Neither do I condemn you; go and sin

no more (John 8:10, 11).

Pause now and ask Jesus to startle you with His love.

JOHN 1222


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Johns disciples and the Jews about purification.26And they came to John and said to him,Rabbi,He who was with you beyond the Jordan, towhom you have testifiedbehold, He is baptiz-

ing, and all are coming to Him!27John answered and said,A man can receive

nothing unless it has been given to him fromheaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that Isaid, I am not the Christ, but, I have been sentbefore Him. 29He who has the bride is thebridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom,who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly be-cause of the bridegrooms voice. Therefore this

joy of mine is fulfilled.30

He must increase, but Imustdecrease. 31He who comes from above isabove all; he who is of the earth is earthly andspeaks of the earth. He who comes from heavenis above all. 32And what He has seen and heard,that He testifies; and no one receives His testi-mony. 33He who has received His testimony hascertified that God is true. 34For He whom Godhas sent speaks the words of God, for God doesnot give the Spirit by measure. 35The Father

loves the Son, and has given all things into Hishand. 36He who believes in the Son has everlast-ing life; and he who does not believe the Sonshall not see life, but the wrath of God abides onhim.

A SAMARITANWOMANMEETSHERMESSIAH

4Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Phar-isees had heard that Jesus made and baptizedmore disciples than John

2

(though Jesus Himselfdid not baptize, but His disciples), 3He left Judeaand departed again to Galilee. 4But He needed togo through Samaria.

5So He came to a city of Samaria which iscalled Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacobgave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacobs well wasthere. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His

journey, sat thus by the well. It was about thesixth hour.

7A woman of Samaria came to draw water.Jesus said to her,Give Me a drink. 8For His dis-ciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him,How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink fromme, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no deal-ings with Samaritans.

10Jesus answered and said to her, If youknew the gift of God, and who it is who says to

you, Give Me a drink, you would have askedHim, and He would have given you living wa-

ter.11The woman said to Him, Sir,You have

nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.Wherethen do You get that living water? 12Are Yougreater than our father Jacob, who gave us thewell, and drank from it himself, as well as his sonsand his livestock?

13Jesus answered and said to her, Whoeverdrinks of this water will thirst again, 14but who-

ever drinks of the water that I shall give him willnever thirst. But the water that I shall give himwill become in him a fountain of water springingup into everlasting life.

15The woman said to Him,Sir, give me thiswater, that I may not thirst, nor come here todraw.

16Jesus said to her,Go, call your husband, andcome here.

17The woman answered and said, I have no

husband.Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have

no husband, 18for you have had five husbands, andthe one whom you now have is not your hus-band; in that you spoke truly.

19The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceivethat You are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshipedon this mountain, and you Jews say that in

Jerusalem is the place where one ought to wor-

ship.21Jesus said to her,Woman, believe Me, the

hour is coming when you will neither on thismountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.22You worship what you do not know; weknow what we worship, for salvation is of the

Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and now is,when the true worshipers will worship the Fa-ther in spirit and truth; for the Father is seekingsuch to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and thosewho worship Him must worship in spirit andtruth.

25The woman said to Him, I know thatMessiah is coming (who is called Christ).WhenHe comes, He will tell us all things.

26Jesus said to her, I who speak to youamHe.

JOHN 4:261223


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THEWHITENEDHARVEST27And at this pointHis disciples came, and

they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet

no one said, What do You seek? or, Why areYou talking with her?

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

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

32But He said to them,I have food to eat ofwhich you do not know.

33Therefore the disciples said to one another,Has anyone brought Him anythingto eat?

34Jesus said to them, My food is to do thewill of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.35Do you not say,There are still four months andthen comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, liftup your eyes and look at the fields, for they are al-ready white for harvest! 36And he who reaps re-

ceives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, thatboth he who sows and he who reaps may rejoicetogether. 37For in this the saying is true:One sowsand another reaps. 38I sent you to reap that forwhich you have not labored; others have labored,and you have entered into their labors.

THESAVIOR OF THEWORLD39And many of the Samaritans of that city be-

lieved in Him because of the word of the womanwho testified,He told me all that I everdid. 40Sowhen the Samaritans had come to Him, theyurged Him to stay with them; and He stayedthere two days. 41And many more believed be-cause of His own word.

42Then they said to the woman, Now webelieve, not because of what you said, for we our-selves have heard Him and we know that this isindeed the Christ,a the Savior of the world.

WELCOME ATGALILEE43Now after the two days He departed from

there and went to Galilee. 44For Jesus Himself tes-tified that a prophet has no honor in his owncountry. 45So when He came to Galilee, theGalileans received Him, having seen all the things

He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also hadgone to the feast.

A NOBLEMANSSONHEALED

46So Jesus came again to Cana of Galileewhere He had made the water wine. And therewas a certain nobleman whose son was sick atCapernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus hadcome out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Himand implored Him to come down and heal hisson, for he was at the point of death. 48Then Jesussaid to him,Unless youpeoplesee signs and won-ders, you will by no means believe.

49

The nobleman said to Him, Sir, comedown before my child dies!50Jesus said to him, Go your way; your son

lives. So the man believed the word that Jesusspoke to him, and he went his way. 51And as hewas now going down, his servants met him andtold him, saying,Your son lives!

52Then he inquired of them the hour whenhe got better.And they said to him,Yesterday atthe seventh hour the fever left him. 53So the fa-

ther knew that it was at the same hour in whichJesus said to him,Your son lives.And he himselfbelieved,and his whole household.

54This again is the second sign Jesus did whenHe had come out of Judea into Galilee.

A MANHEALED AT THEPOOL OFBETHESDA

5After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Je-sus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now there is inJerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which iscalled in Hebrew, Bethesda,a having five porches.3In these lay a great multitude of sick people,blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving ofthe water. 4For an angel went down at a certaintime into the pool and stirred up the water; thenwhoever stepped in first, after the stirring of thewater, was made well of whatever disease he had.a5Now a certain man was there who had an infir-mity thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lyingthere, and knew that he already had been in thatcondition a long time, He said to him, Do youwant to be made well?

7The sick man answered Him,Sir, I have no

JOHN 4:27 1224

4:42 aNU-Text omits the Christ. 5:2 aNU-Text reads Bethzatha.

5:4 aNU-Text omits waiting for the moving of the water at the end of

verse 3, and all of verse 4.


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Come and See What Jesus Did

JOHN 4:29

No one can tell the story of what Christ has done in your life quite like

you.The power of a personal testimony is unmatched in evangelism. Peo-

ple may scoff at Scripture and debate doctrine, but no one can deny the

life-changing power of Jesus in a persons life.

The Samaritan woman was dramatically changed, and her first thought

was to tell everyone to come see Jesus!We are to be just that to our world

today. Jesus does not need a lawyer to defend Him in todays society, just

faithful witnesses of His life-changing power in our personal lives.

A testimony has three very distinct aspects: your life before Christ, how

you came to meet Christ, and what Christ is now doing in your life. God

can use each of these aspects to draw someone to Himself.

When sharing your personal testimony, study these key ideas to keep you

on track: Keep unfamiliar language to a minimum, most people will not

understand many terms used in church today.When you use words like

sin,lost, or other church phrases, take time to define them to your

listener; do not assume they understand these key phrases.

Keep your conversation focused on Jesus.Although it is your life story, it

was what Christ did that changed your life.

Above all else, practice your testimony to make it fluent and practical.A

testimony is designed to be an opening conversation to share how Christ

can change the listeners life.

A testimony should always close with an opportunity for response.This

can be done with a question like,Has anything like this ever happened

to you? If the answer is yes, ask the person to elaborate for your encour-

agement. If the answer is no, there are several great ways to introduce this

person to Christ. For more help on being an effective personal evangelist,go to www.sharingthefaith.com.

JOHN1225


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GC2: Humble Dependence

JOHN 5:19

Imagine that you are one of the twelve disciples.You have left everything

to follow Jesus, entrusting your life and future to this carpenter from

Nazareth.Your hopes are riding on an unclear vision of His plans for a

kingdom. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Jewish leaders are

not big fans of Hisin fact, they are trying to kill Him, and maybe youtoo!

Now imagine your reaction as you hear Jesus say:the Son can do noth-

ing of Himself (John 5:19).Are you surprised by this declaration of

humble dependence? Surely this One whom you are following has some

kind of plan, right? Doesnt He enjoy some sense of security about the

future? Are you a bit shocked when you hear Him say, in essence,I just

wait around for the Father to show Me what to do?

Jesus words, startling though they may be, provide the blueprint for our

lives.We are called to express humility through complete dependence

upon God. Faithful, maturing disciples who walk intimately with the

Spirit are able to declare, as Christ did,I can of Myself do nothing

(John 5:30).

JOHN 1226


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man to put me into the pool when the water isstirred up; but while I am coming, another stepsdown before me.

8Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed

and walk. 9And immediately the man was madewell, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath. 10The Jewstherefore said to him who was cured,It is the Sab-bath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.

11He answered them,He who made me wellsaid to me,Take up your bed and walk.

12Then they asked him, Who is the Manwho said to you, Take up your bed and walk?13

But the one who was healed did not know whoit was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude beingin thatplace. 14Afterward Jesus found him in thetemple, and said to him, See, you have beenmade well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing comeupon you.

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

HONOR THEFATHER AND THESON16For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus,

and sought to kill Him,a because He had donethese things on the Sabbath. 17But Jesus answeredthem, My Father has been working until now,and I have been working.

18Therefore the Jews sought all the more tokill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath,but also said that God was His Father, makingHimself equal with God. 19Then Jesus answered

and said to them,Most assuredly, I say to you, theSon can do nothing of Himself, but what He seesthe Father do; for whatever He does, the Son alsodoes in like manner. 20For the Father loves theSon, and shows Him all things that He Himselfdoes; and He will show Him greater works thanthese, that you may marvel. 21For as the Fatherraises the dead and gives life to them, even so theSon gives life to whom He will. 22For the Father

judges no one, but has committed all judgment tothe Son, 23that all should honor the Son just asthey honor the Father. He who does not honorthe Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

LIFE ANDJUDGMENTARETHROUGH THESON24Most 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 life. 25Most as-suredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and nowis, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son

of God; and those who hear will live. 26For as theFather has life in Himself, so He has granted theSon to have life in Himself, 27and has given Himauthority to execute judgment also, because He isthe Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this; for thehour is coming in which all who are in the graveswill hear His voice 29and come forththose whohave done good, to the resurrection of life, andthose who have done evil, to the resurrection of

condemnation.30

I can of Myself do nothing.As Ihear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, be-cause I do not seek My own will but the will ofthe Father who sent Me.

THEFOURFOLDWITNESS31If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is

not true. 32There is another who bears witness ofMe, and I know that the witness which He wit-nesses of Me is true. 33You have sent to John, and

he has borne witness to the truth. 34Yet I do notreceive testimony from man,but I say these thingsthat you may be saved. 35He was the burning andshining lamp, and you were willing for a time torejoice in his light. 36But I have a greater witnessthan Johns; for the works which the Father hasgiven Me to finishthe very works that I dobear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.37And the Father Himself, who sent Me,has testi-

fied of Me.You have neither heard His voice atany time, nor seen His form. 38But you do nothave His word abiding in you, because whom Hesent, Him you do not believe. 39You search theScriptures, for in them you think you have eternallife; and these are they which testify of Me. 40But

you are not willing to come to Me that you mayhave life.

41I do not receive honor from men. 42But Iknow you, that you do not have the love of God

in you. 43I have come in My Fathers name, andyou do not receive Me; if another comes in hisown name, him you will receive. 44How can youbelieve, who receive honor from one another, anddo not seek the honor that comes from the onlyGod? 45Do not think that I shall accuse you to

JOHN 5:451227

5:16 aNU-Text omits and sought to kill Him.


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GC2: Sharing Christ: Others-Centered Love

JOHN 5:20 The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself

does.

Gods love is characteristically focused on others. Even the Father

focuses on loving the Son, and the Son focuses on loving the Father.

I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love(John 15:10).To have received this love at your new birth is to have par-

taken of the divine nature through the renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

This divine others-centered nature is birthed in us as we yield to the

Holy Spirit in order that we might love as Jesus loved. Consider some of

the ways in which Jesus loved those around Him:

He loved Zacchaeus by accepting him, looking beyond his faults to

his needs (Luke 19:110). He loved the little children with affection, touch, and affirming

words (Matt. 19:1315).

He loved Mary in her pain with tear-filled eyes of comfort

(John 11:35).

He loved Peter in his failure with promises of prayer and restoration

(Luke 22:31, 32).

Just before He went to the cross, Christ gave a new command: that welove one another as He loves us (John 13:34, 35).

Prayerfully reflect on the people in your life as you ask for the Fathers

promise concerning others-centered love. Pause to consider which of

them might benefit from Gods acceptance or affection, care or comfort,

prayer or promised restoration.

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the Father; there is onewho accuses youMoses,in whom you trust. 46For if you believed Moses,

you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.47But if you do not believe his writings, how will

you believe My words?

FEEDING THEFIVETHOUSAND

6After these things Jesus went over the Sea ofGalilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2Then agreat multitude followed Him, because they sawHis signs which He performed on those who werediseased. 3And Jesus went up on the mountain,andthere He sat with His disciples.

4

Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, wasnear. 5Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing agreat multitude coming toward Him, He said toPhilip,Where shall we buy bread, that these mayeat? 6But this He said to test him, for He Himselfknew what He would do.

7Philip answered Him,Two hundred denariiworth of bread is not sufficient for them, thatevery one of them may have a little.

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peters

brother, said to Him, 9There is a lad here whohas five barley loaves and two small fish, but whatare they among so many?

10Then Jesus said, Make the people sitdown. Now there was much grass in the place.So the men sat down, in number about five thou-sand. 11And Jesus took the loaves, and when Hehad given thanks He distributed them to the disci-ples, and the disciplesa to those sitting down; and

likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.12

Sowhen they were filled, He said to His disciples,Gather up the fragments that remain, so thatnothing is lost. 13Therefore they gathered themup, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments ofthe five barley loaves which were left over bythose who had eaten. 14Then those men, whenthey had seen the sign that Jesus did, said,This istruly the Prophet who is to come into theworld.

JESUSWALKS ON THESEA15Therefore when Jesus perceived that they

were about to come and take Him by force tomake Him king, He departed again to the moun-tain by Himself alone.

16Now when evening came, His disciples

went down to the sea, 17got into the boat, andwent over the sea toward Capernaum. And it wasalready dark, and Jesus had not come to them.18Then the sea arose because a great wind was

blowing. 19So when they had rowed about threeor four miles,a they saw Jesus walking on the seaand drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.20But He said to them,It is I; do not be afraid.21Then they willingly received Him into the boat,and immediately the boat was at the land wherethey were going.

THEBREAD FROMHEAVEN22

On the following day, when the peoplewho were standing on the other side of the seasaw that there was no other boat there, exceptthat one which His disciples had entered,a andthat Jesus had not entered the boat with His disci-ples, but His disciples had gone away alone23however, other boats came from Tiberias, nearthe place where they ate bread after the Lord hadgiven thanks 24when the people therefore sawthat Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they

also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seek-ing Jesus. 25And when they found Him on theother side of the sea, they said to Him, Rabbi,when did You come here?

26Jesus answered them and said, Most as-suredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because

you saw the signs, but because you ate of theloaves and were filled. 27Do not labor for the foodwhich perishes, but for the food which endures to

everlasting life, which the Son of Man will giveyou, because God the Father has set His seal onHim.

28Then they said to Him,What shall we do,that we may work the works of God?

29Jesus answered and said to them,This is thework of God, that you believe in Him whom Hesent.

30Therefore they said to Him,What sign willYou perform then, that we may see it and believeYou? What work will You do? 31Our fathers atethe manna in the desert; as it is written, He gavethem bread from heaven to eat. a

JOHN 6:311229

6:11 aNU-Text omits to the disciples, and the disciples. 6:19 aLiter-

ally twenty-five or thirty stadia 6:22 aNU-Text omits that and which

His disciples had entered. 6:31 aExodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15;

Psalm 78:24


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The Heavy Lifting of Leadership

JOHN 6

When Jesus began His ministry, the crowds around Him were huge.

Thousands followed Him, looking for the Messiah, for healing, and for a

place to belong. John 6 reveals the kind of messiah that the people

wanted.They wanted a superhero kind of guy who could do wonders and

fill their bellies at the same time. In fact, the chapter begins by saying,Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs (v. 2).

The story continues with more crowds beginning to follow Jesusa gen-

eration seeking to fill their bellies and be entertained. Jesus saw through

their motives:You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because

you ate of the loaves and were filled (v. 26).They were looking for the

sensation of entertainment, and Jesus decided to confront their motives.

The people wanted to speak of a popular and powerful messiah, but He

spoke of Himself as the Messiah who came to save the people from their

sin. He took it a step further when He taught:He who eats My flesh and

drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him (v. 56).The people didnt

like this kind of talk. Feeding the crowds was exciting, and watching the

lame being healed was mind blowing, but this talk of eating flesh and

drinking bloodwhat was that? Even His disciples said,This is a hard

saying (v. 60).

What happens next is one of the most tragic verses in the entire Bible:From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him

no more (v. 66). Not only did the crowdgive up on His hard saying,

but some of Jesus disciples left as well.

Leaders are devoted followers who hang in there for the heavy lifting.

They are not quitters who look for an easy message; they are careful to

examine their motives often. Many are willing to call themselves Chris-

tians when the talk is of love and the crowd is social, but there are fewer

who stay devoted when the hard sayingssuch as criticism and per-sonal sacrificecome along.

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32Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, Isay to you, Moses did not give you the breadfrom heaven, but My Father gives you the truebread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is Hewho comes down from heaven and gives life tothe world.

34Then they said to Him, Lord, give us this

bread always.35And Jesus said to them,I am the bread of

life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, andhe who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36But Isaid to you that you have seen Me and yet do notbelieve. 37All that the Father gives Me will cometo Me, and the one who comes to Me I will byno means cast out. 38For I have come down fromheaven, not to do My own will, but the will of

Him who sent Me.39

This is the will of the Fatherwho sent Me, that of all He has given Me Ishould lose nothing, but should raise it up at thelast day. 40And this is the will of Him who sentMe, that everyone who sees the Son and believesin Him may have everlasting life; and I will raisehim up at the last day.

REJECTED BYHISOWN41The Jews then complained about Him, be-

cause He said,I am the bread which came downfrom heaven. 42And they said, Is not this Jesus,the son of Joseph, whose father and mother weknow? How is it then that He says, I have comedown from heaven?

43Jesus therefore answered and said to them,Do not murmur among yourselves. 44No one

can come to Me unless the Father who sent Medraws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.45It is written in the prophets, And they shall allbe taught by God.a Therefore everyone who hasheard and learnedb from the Father comes to Me.46Not that anyone has seen the Father, except Hewho is from God; He has seen the Father. 47Most

assuredly, I say to you,he who believes in Mea haseverlasting life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fa-thers ate the manna in the wilderness, and aredead. 50This is the bread which comes down fromheaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51I amthe living bread which came down from heaven.If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;and the bread that I shall give is My flesh,which Ishall give for the life of the world.

52

The Jews therefore quarreled among them-selves, saying,How can this Man give us His fleshto eat?

53Then Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, Isay to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son ofMan and drink His blood, you have no life in

you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks Myblood has eternal life, and I will raise him up atthe last day. 55For My flesh is food indeed,a andMy blood is drink indeed. 56He who eats My

flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I inhim. 57As the living Father sent Me, and I live be-cause of the Father, so he who feeds on Me willlive because of Me. 58This is the bread whichcame down from heavennot as your fathers ate

JOHN 6:581231

6:45 aIsaiah 54:13 bM-Text reads hears and has learned. 6:47 aNU-

Text omits in Me. 6:55 aNU-Text reads true food and true drink.

Of course, one can study apologetics until one knows all the theories and proofs for the

existence of God backward and forward, but the best proof of the validity of Christian-

ity lies in the witness of ones own personal life. Whether one likes it or not, one is con-

stantly being judged by outsiders and non-Christians, who are all yearning to see

whats so different and special about the Christian faith. We provide a powerful witness

to others when we obediently live our lives under the leadership of God and find inno-

vative ways to love our neighbors and care for nature.

Where Have All the Dreamers Gone?Observations from a BiblicalWorldview: The Witness of PersonalLives (John 5:32, 33)

THROUGH THE GRID


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the manna, and are dead. He who eats this breadwill live forever.

59These things He said in the synagogue asHe taught in Capernaum.

MANYDISCIPLESTURNAWAY60Therefore many of His disciples, when they

heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who canunderstand it?

61When Jesus knew in Himself that His disci-ples complained about this, He said to them,Does this offend you? 62Whatthen if you shouldsee the Son of Man ascend where He was before?63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profitsnothing.The words that I speak to you are spirit,and they are life. 64But there are some of you whodo not believe. For Jesus knew from the begin-ning who they were who did not believe, andwho would betray Him. 65And He said, There-

fore I have said to you that no one can come toMe unless it has been granted to him by MyFather.

66From that timemany of His disciples wentback and walked with Him no more. 67Then Jesussaid to the twelve, Do you also want to goaway?

68But Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, towhom shall we go? You have the words of eternallife. 69Also we have come to believe and knowthat You are the Christ, the Son of the livingGod.a

70Jesus answered them, Did I not chooseyou, the twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71Hespoke of Judas Iscariot,the son of Simon, for itwas he who would betray Him, being one ofthe twelve.

JESUS BROTHERSDISBELIEVE

7After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; forHe did not want to walk in Judea, because theJewsa sought to kill Him. 2Now the Jews Feast ofTabernacles was at hand. 3His brothers thereforesaid to Him,Depart from here and go into Judea,that Your disciples also may see the works that Youare doing. 4For no one does anything in secretwhile he himself seeks to be known openly. If You

do these things, show Yourself to the world. 5Foreven His brothers did not believe in Him.

6Then Jesus said to them, My time has notyet come, but your time is always ready. 7Theworld cannot hate you, but it hates Me because Itestify of it that its works are evil. 8You go up tothis feast. I am not yeta going up to this feast, forMy time has not yet fully come. 9When He hadsaid these things to them,He remained in Galilee.

THEHEAVENLYSCHOLAR10But when His brothers had gone up, then

He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as itwere in secret. 11Then the Jews sought Him at thefeast, and said, Where is He? 12And there wasmuch complaining among the people concerningHim. Some said, He is good; others said, No,on the contrary, He deceives the people. 13How-ever, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the

Jews.14Now about the middle of the feast Jesus

went up into the temple and taught. 15And theJews marveled, saying,How does this Man knowletters, having never studied?

JOHN 6:59 1232

6:69 aNU-Text reads You are the Holy One of God. 7:1 aThat is, the

ruling authorities 7:8 aNU-Text omitsyet.

In Scripture, Jesus Himself makes several claims about who He is. He claimed to be

the God of Exodus 3:14the I AM. He again claimed to be God in John 14:9. And He

claims that He and God the Father are one (John 10:30). In Johns Gospel, Jesus

makes seven statements that begin with I am. He states that He is the Bread of Life

(6:35, 41, 48, 51); the Light of the World (8:12); the Door of the Sheep (10:7, 9); the

Good Shepherd (10:11, 14); the Resurrection and the Life (11:25); the Way, the

Truth, and the Life (14:6); and the True Vine (15:1, 5).

Thinking Christianly:The Self-Claims of Jesus (John 6:35)THROUGH THE GRID


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16Jesusa answered them and said,My doctrineis not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17If anyonewills to do His will, he shall know concerning thedoctrine, whether it is from God or whether I

speak on My own authority. 18He who speaksfrom himself seeks his own glory; but He whoseeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true,and no unrighteousness is in Him. 19Did notMoses give you the law, yet none of you keepsthe law? Why do you seek to kill Me?

20The people answered and said, You have ademon.Who is seeking to kill You?

21Jesus answered and said to them,I did one

work, and you all marvel.22

Moses therefore gaveyou circumcision (not that it is from Moses, butfrom the fathers), and you circumcise a man onthe Sabbath. 23If a man receives circumcision onthe Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should notbe broken, are you angry with Me because Imade a man completely well on the Sabbath?24Do not judge according to appearance, but

judge with righteous judgment.

COULDTHISBE THECHRIST?25Now some of them from Jerusalem said,Is

this not He whom they seek to kill? 26But look!He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.Do the rulers know indeed that this is trulya theChrist? 27However, we know where this Man isfrom; but when the Christ comes, no one knowswhere He is from.

28Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the

temple, saying, You both know Me, and youknow where I am from; and I have not come ofMyself, but He who sent Me is true, whom youdo not know. 29Buta I know Him, for I am fromHim, and He sent Me.

30Therefore they sought to take Him; but noone laid a hand on Him, because His hour hadnot yet come. 31And many of the people believedin Him, and said, When the Christ comes, willHe do more signs than these which this Man hasdone?

JESUS AND THERELIGIOUSLEADERS32The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring

these things concerning Him, and the Phariseesand the chief priests sent officers to take Him.33Then Jesus said to them,a I shall be with you a

little while longer, and then I go to Him who sentMe. 34You will seek Me and not find Me, andwhere I am you cannot come.

35Then the Jews said among themselves,

Where does He intend to go that we shall notfind Him? Does He intend to go to the Disper-sion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?36What is this thing that He said, You will seekMe and not find Me, and where I am you cannotcome?

THEPROMISE OF THEHOLYSPIRIT37On the last day, that great day of the feast,

Jesus stood and cr ied out, saying, If anyonethirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38He whobelieves in Me, as the Scripture has said,out of hisheart will flow rivers of living water. 39But thisHe spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those be-lievinga in Him would receive; for the Holyb

Spirit was not yetgiven, because Jesus was not yetglorified.

WHOISHE?

40Therefore manya from the crowd, whenthey heard this saying, said, Truly this is theProphet. 41Others said,This is the Christ.

But some said,Will the Christ come out ofGalilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that theChrist comes from the seed of David and fromthe town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43Sothere was a division among the people because ofHim. 44Now some of them wanted to take Him,but no one laid hands on Him.

REJECTED BY THEAUTHORITIES45Then the officers came to the chief priests

and Pharisees, who said to them,Why have younot brought Him?

46The officers answered,No man ever spokelike this Man!

47Then the Pharisees answered them, Areyou also deceived? 48Have any of the rulers or the

Pharisees believed in Him? 49But this crowd thatdoes not know the law is accursed.

50Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus bynight,a being one of them) said to them, 51Does

JOHN 7:511233

7:16 aNU-Text and M-Text read So Jesus. 7:26 aNU-Text omits truly.

7:29 aNU-Text and M-Text omit But. 7:33 aNU-Text and M-Text omit

to them. 7:39 aNU-Text reads who believed. bNU-Text omits Holy.

7:40 aNU-Text reads some. 7:50 aNU-Text reads before.


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our law judge a man before it hears him andknows what he is doing?

52They answered and said to him, Are youalso from Galilee? Search and look, for no

prophet has arisena out of Galilee.

ANADULTERESSFACES THELIGHT OF THEWORLD53And everyone went to his own house.a

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.2Now earlya in the morning He came againinto the temple, and all the people came to Him;and He sat down and taught them. 3Then thescribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman

caught in adultery. And when they had set her inthe midst, 4they said to Him,Teacher, this womanwas caughta in adultery, in the very act. 5NowMoses, in the law,commandeda us that such shouldbe stoned.b But what do You say?c 6This they said,testing Him, that they might have something ofwhich to accuse Him.But Jesus stooped down andwrote on the ground with His finger, as thoughHe did not hear.a

7So when they continued asking Him, He

raised Himself upa and said to them,He who iswithout sin among you, let him throw a stone ather first. 8And again He stooped down andwrote on the ground. 9Then those who heard it,being convicted by theirconscience,a went outone by one, beginning with the oldest even to thelast. And Jesus was left alone, and the womanstanding in the midst. 10When Jesus had raisedHimself up and saw no one but the woman, He

said to her,a

Woman, where are those accusers ofyours?b Has no one condemned you?

11She said,No one, Lord.And Jesus said to her,Neither do I condemn

you; go anda sin no more.12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I

am the light of the world. He who follows Meshall not walk in darkness, but have the light oflife.

JESUSDEFENDSHISSELF-WITNESS13The Pharisees therefore said to Him, You

bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.14Jesus answered and said to them,Even if I

bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for Iknow where I came from and where I am going;but you do not know where I come from and

where I am going. 15You judge according to theflesh; I judge no one. 16And yet if I do judge, My

judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I amwith the Father who sent Me. 17It is also written

in your law that the testimony of two men is true.18I am One who bears witness of Myself, and theFather who sent Me bears witness of Me.

19Then they said to Him,Where is Your Fa-ther?

Jesus answered, You know neither Me norMy Father. If you had known Me, you wouldhave known My Father also.

20These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as

He taught in the temple; and no one laid handson Him, for His hour had not yet come.

JESUSPREDICTSHISDEPARTURE21Then Jesus said to them again,I am going

away, and you will seek Me, and will die in yoursin.Where I go you cannot come.

22So the Jews said,Will He kill Himself, be-cause He says,Where I go you cannot come?

23And He said to them, You are from be-

neath; I am from above.You are of this world; Iam not of this world. 24Therefore I said to youthat you will die in your sins; for if you do notbelieve that I am He,you will die in your sins.

25Then they said to Him,Who are You?And Jesus said to them, Just what I have

been saying to you from the beginning. 26I havemany things to say and to judge concerning you,but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the

world those things which I heard from Him.27They did not understand that He spoke to

them of the Father.28Then Jesus said to them,When you lift up

the Son of Man, then you will know that I amHe, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as MyFather taught Me, I speak these things. 29And Hewho sent Me is with Me.The Father has not left

JOHN 7:52 1234

7:52 aNU-Text reads is to rise. 7:53 aThe words And everyone

through sin no more (8:11) are bracketed by NU-Text as not origi-nal. They are present in over 900 manuscripts. 8:2 aM-Text reads

very early. 8:4 aM-Text reads we found this woman. 8:5 aM-Text

reads in our law Moses commanded. bNU-Text and M-Text read to

stone such. cM-Text adds about her. 8:6 aNU-Text and M-Text omit

as though He did not hear. 8:7 aM-Text reads He looked up.

8:9 aNU-Text and M-Text omit being convicted by their conscience.

8:10 aNU-Text omits and saw no one but the woman; M-Text reads

He saw her and said. bNU-Text and M-Text omit of yours.

8:11 aNU-Text and M-Text add from now on.


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GC2: The Light of Gods Son

JOHN 8:12

Jesus boldly proclaimed that He is the light of the world.As we en-

counter Him and experience His love, we experience one source of Gods

transforming light (Ps. 36:9; John 12:35).

God the Father is longing for us to pursue Jesus, because He delights inrevealing more of Himself to us.Whether through worship, prayer, medi-

tation, and study, or through the mundane happenings of everyday life,

Jesus is wanting to be known by you!

Throughout Scripture, we find Christ revealing Himself to others, some-

times when they least expect it.The disciples on the Emmaus Road, for

example, thought that they were having a normal conversation with a fel-

low traveler (albeit a fellow traveler who seemed to be extraordinarily

knowledgeable about Old Testament prophecy). However, throughoutJesus discourse about the scriptural significance of the Messiah, He was

gradually revealing HimselfHis wisdom, His nature, His loving concern,

and finally, His identity (Luke 24:1332).

I have recently encountered Gods Son, Jesus, by _________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

(For example: I have recently encountered Gods Son, Jesus, by picturing

Him praying for me, especially during a time when I was feeling very lonely.)

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Me alone, for I always do those things that pleaseHim. 30As He spoke these words, many believedin Him.

THETRUTHSHALLMAKEYOUFREE

31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believedHim,If you abide in My word, you are My dis-ciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth, andthe truth shall make you free.

33They answered Him, We are Abrahamsdescendants, and have never been in bondage toanyone. How canYou say, You will be madefree?

34Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say

to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.35And a slave does not abide in the house forever,buta son abides forever. 36Therefore if the Sonmakes you free,you shall be free indeed.

ABRAHAMSSEED ANDSATANS37I know that you are Abrahams descen-

dants, but you seek to kill Me, because My wordhas no place in you. 38I speak what I have seenwith My Father, and you do what you have seenwithayour father.

39They answered and said to Him,Abrahamis our father.

Jesus said to them, If you were Abrahamschildren, you would do the works of Abraham.40But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who hastold you the truth which I heard from God.Abra-

ham did not do this. 41You do the deeds of yourfather.

Then they said to Him, We were not bornof fornication; we have one FatherGod.

42Jesus said to them, If God were your Fa-

ther, you would love Me, for I proceeded forthand came from God; nor have I come of Myself,but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understandMy speech? Because you are not able to listen toMy word. 44You are of your father the devil, andthe desires of your father you want to do. He wasa murderer from the beginning, and does notstand in the truth, because there is no truth inhim. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from hisown resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.45But because I tell the truth, you do not believeMe. 46Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if Itell the truth, why do you not believe Me? 47Hewho is of God hears Gods words; therefore youdo not hear, because you are not of God.

BEFOREABRAHAMWAS, I AM48Then the Jews answered and said to Him,

Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan

and have a demon?49Jesus answered,I do not have a demon; but

I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50AndI do not seek My own glory; there is One whoseeks and judges. 51Most assuredly, I say to you, ifanyone keeps My word he shall never see death.

JOHN 8:30 1236

8:38 aNU-Text reads heard from.

JOHN 8:31, 32 If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall knowthe truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Gods truth lasts forever, and the power of Gods truth is liberating, as it has

the ability to set us free from the bonds of sin and death. When we learn to

trust Gods Word completely, we begin to rely on God for direction and guid-

ance, and we avoid the pitfalls of sin. The world exists in opposition to Gods

truth as a means of enslavement; but Gods truth sets us free from the world,

and we are also liberated from the sin and guilt that once bound us.

Through Gods truth, we can be set free from self-centeredness, from

bondage to fear, and from a life of mediocrity and insignificance. Gods truthfrees us to live a life of holiness in communion with God.

THROUGH THE GRIDDiscover God:Gods Truth Sets Us Free


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GC2: Convictions: Unique Truth

JOHN 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Truth cannot be subjectively created; truth is and comes from the objec-

tive, absolute Person of Christ Himself.As John wrote:For the law was

given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

(John 1:17).Truth cannot be relative and change from person to person or from com-

munity to community, because Jesus is the incarnation of God,with

whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17).As the

Scripture says:Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever

(Heb. 13:8).

All truth cannot be equal because Jesus didnt claim to be a truth, one

that is equal to all others. His claim was exclusive; He claimed to be theone and only truth, the only way to God.I am the way, the truth, and

the life, He said.No one comes to the Father except through Me

(John 14:6).Those are not the words of someone who is one among

many, someone who is equal to all others; those are the words of One

who has no equal.

ISAIAH 45:5, 6 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the ris-

ing of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, andthere is no other.

Living out our conviction to, at all cost, be pleasing to Jesus means we live

a unique and Spirit-led life even as Christ is unique.

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52Then the Jews said to Him,Now we knowthat You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and theprophets; and You say, If anyone keeps My wordhe shall never taste death. 53Are You greater than

our father Abraham, who is dead? And theprophets are dead.Who do You make Yourself outto be?

54Jesus answered, If I honor Myself , Myhonor is nothing. It is My Father who honorsMe, of whom you say that He is youra God. 55Yet

you have not known Him, but I know Him.Andif I say, I do not know Him, I shall be a liar like

you; but I do know Him and keep His word.56

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day,and he saw itand was glad.

57Then the Jews said to Him,You are not yetfifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?

58Jesus said to them,Most assuredly, I say toyou, before Abraham was, I AM.

59Then they took up stones to throw at Him;but Jesus hid Himself and went out of thetemple,a going through the midst of them, and sopassed by.

A MANBORNBLINDRECEIVESSIGHT

9Now asJesus passed by, He saw a man who wasblind from birth. 2And His disciples asked Him,saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his par-ents, that he was born blind?

3Jesus answered, Neither this man nor hisparents sinned, but that the works of God shouldbe revealed in him. 4Ia must work the works of

Him who sent Me while it is day;the night iscoming when no one can work. 5As long as I amin the world, I am the light of the world.

6When He had said these things, He spat onthe ground and made clay with the saliva; and Heanointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.7And He said to him, Go, wash in the pool ofSiloam (which is translated, Sent). So he wentand washed, and came back seeing.

8Therefore the neighbors and those who pre-viously had seen that he was blinda said, Is notthis he who sat and begged?

9Some said, This is he. Others said, He islike him.a

He said,I am he.10Therefore they said to him, How were

your eyes opened?

11He answered and said, A Man called Jesusmade clay and anointed my eyes and said to me,Go to the pool ofa Siloam and wash. So I wentand washed, and I received sight.

12Then they said to him,Where is He?He said,I do not know.

THEPHARISEESEXCOMMUNICATE THEHEALEDMAN13They brought him who formerly was blind

to the Pharisees. 14Now it was a Sabbath when Je-sus made the clay and opened his eyes. 15Then thePharisees also asked him again how he had re-ceived his sight.He said to them,He put clay on

my eyes, and I washed, and I see.16Therefore some of the Pharisees said, ThisMan is not from God, because He does not keepthe Sabbath.

Others said,How can a man who is a sinnerdo such signs? And there was a division amongthem.

17They said to the blind man again,What doyou say about Him because He opened youreyes?

He said,He is a prophet.18But the Jews did not believe concerning

him, that he had been blind and received hissight, until they called the parents of him whohad received his sight. 19And they asked them,saying, Is this your son, who you say was bornblind? How then does he now see?

20His parents answered them and said, Weknow that this is our son, and that he was born

blind;21

but by what means he now sees we donot know, or who opened his eyes we do notknow. He is of age; ask him. He will speak forhimself. 22His parents said these things becausethey feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed al-ready that if anyone confessed thatHe was Christ,he would be put out of the synagogue. 23There-fore his parents said,He is of age; ask him.

24So they again called the man who wasblind, and said to him, Give God the glory! We

know that this Man is a sinner.25He answered and said, Whether He is a

sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know:that though I was blind,now I see.

JOHN 8:52 1238

8:54 aNU-Text and M-Text read our. 8:59 aNU-Text omits the rest of

this verse. 9:4 aNU-Text reads We. 9:8 aNU-Text reads a beggar.

9:9 aNU-Text reads No, but he is like him. 9:11 aNU-Text omits

the pool of.


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26Then they said to him again,What did Hedo to you? How did He open your eyes?

27He answered them,I told you already, andyou did not listen.Why do you want to hear it

again? Do you also want to become His disci-ples?

28Then they reviled him and said, You areHis disciple, but we are Moses disciples. 29Weknow that God spoke to Moses;as for thisfellow,we do not know where He is from.

30The man answered and said to them,Why,this is a marvelous thing, that you do not knowwhere He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!31

Now we know that God does not hear sinners;but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does Hiswill, He hears him. 32Since the world began it hasbeen unheard of that anyone opened the eyes ofone who was born blind. 33If this Man were notfrom God,He could do nothing.

34They answered and said to him, You werecompletely born in sins, and are you teachingus?And they cast him out.

TRUEVISION ANDTRUEBLINDNESS35Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and

when He had found him, He said to him, Doyou believe in the Son of God?a

36He answered and said, Who is He, Lord,that I may believe in Him?

37And Jesus said to him,You have both seenHim and it is He who is talking with you.

38Then he said, Lord, I believe! And he

worshiped Him.39And Jesus said,For judgment I have come

into this world, that those who do not see maysee, and that those who see may be made blind.

40Then someof the Pharisees who were withHim heard these words, and said to Him,Are weblind also?

41Jesus said to them, If you were blind, youwould have no sin; but now you say, We see.Therefore your sin remains.

JESUS THETRUESHEPHERD

10Most assuredly, I say to you, he who doesnot enter the sheepfold by the door, butclimbs up some other way, the same is a thief anda robber. 2But he who enters by the door is theshepherd of the sheep. 3To him the doorkeeper

opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he callshis own sheep by name and leads them out. 4Andwhen he brings out his own sheep, he goes beforethem; and the sheep follow him, for they know

his voice. 5Yet they will by no means follow astranger, but will flee from him, for they do notknow the voice of strangers. 6Jesus used this illus-tration, but they did not understand the thingswhich He spoke to them.

JESUS THEGOODSHEPHERD7Then Jesus said to them again, Most as-

suredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.8

All who evercame before Mea

are thieves androbbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9I amthe door. If anyone enters by Me, he will besaved, and will go in and out and find pasture.10The thief does not come except to steal, and tokill, and to destroy. I have come that they mayhave life, and that they may have itmore abun-dantly.

11I am the good shepherd. The good shep-herd gives His life for the sheep. 12But a hireling,

he who is not the shepherd, one who does notown the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leavesthe sheep and flees; and the wolf catches thesheep and scatters them. 13The hireling flees be-cause he is a hireling and does not care about thesheep. 14I am the good shepherd; and I know Mysheep, and am known by My own. 15As the Fatherknows Me, even so I know the Father; and I laydown My life for the sheep. 16And other sheep I

have which are not of this fold; them also I mustbring, and they will hear My voice; and there willbe one flock andone shepherd.

17Therefore My Father loves Me, because Ilay down My life that I may take it again. 18Noone takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.I have power to lay it down, and I have power totake it again.This command I have received fromMy Father.

19Therefore there was a division again among

the Jews because of these sayings. 20And many ofthem said, He has a demon and is mad.Why do

you listen to Him?21Others said, These are not the words of

one who has a demon. Can a demon open theeyes of the blind?

JOHN 9:26 1240

9:35 aNU-Text reads Son of Man. 10:8 aM-Text omits before Me.


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Finding True Happiness

JOHN 10:10

Our culture advertises the slogan that happiness can be found when we

control our own freedom and have things the way we want them to be.

As a result, many people live their lives individualistically, without regard

to what others have to say about them or what they are doing. Many even

formulate their own systems of morality and ethics, and they attempt tofind happiness in having the freedom to do whatever they want to do.

However, true happiness cannot be found ultimately by following the dic-

tates of our own desires; rather, such behavior can lead to an amoral

lifestyle marked by hurt and grief.

True happiness comes when we are at peace with the One who created

us. God has set forth rules for humanity.Those rules reveal important

truths about Gods character and how we are to live in this world. How-

ever, happiness does not come by merely adhering to a to-do list of di-

vine prescriptions. Rather, true happiness comes when we find a fulfilling

and genuine relationship of love with our Creator.This happiness and our

love for God, gives us the desire to obey Gods commandments and to

honor Him with our lives by living obediently.

Successfully finding happiness is rooted in the action of loving God with

all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Only then can we find a personal

fulfillment that meets our deepest needs and calms our fears and worries.When we obey God, God gives us the power to serve Him by obeying

His other commandments with a joyful and expectant heart.The result is

that we develop a fervent desire to serve God with our entire beings,

which in turn fuels our desire to follow the Commandments set forth by

God. However, it is impossible for us to keep the Ten Commandments

perfectly, as we are flawed and fallen human beings.

Thankfully, the mercy, grace, and forgiveness God offers to us enables us

to continue striving for obedience.When we obey God fully, and whenwe love God fully, we find true happiness.

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THESHEPHERDKNOWSHISSHEEP22Now it was the Feast of Dedication in

Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23And Jesus walked

in the temple, in Solomons porch.24

Then theJews surrounded Him and said to Him, Howlong do You keep us in doubt? If You are theChrist, tell us plainly.

25Jesus answered them, I told you, and youdo not believe.The works that I do in My Fa-thers name, they bear witness of Me. 26But youdo not believe, because you are not of My sheep,as I said to you.a 27My sheep hear My voice, and Iknow them, and they follow Me. 28And I givethem eternal life, and they shall never perish; nei-ther shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29My Father, who has given them to Me, is greaterthan all; and no one is able to snatch them out ofMy Fathers hand. 30I and My Father are one.

RENEWEDEFFORTS TOSTONEJESUS31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone

Him. 32Jesus answered them,Many good works I

have shown you from My Father. For which ofthose works do you stone Me?

33The Jews answered Him, saying, For agood work we do not stone You, but for blas-phemy, and because You, being a Man, make

Yourself God.34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in

your law, I said, You are gods ?a 35If He calledthem gods, to whom the word of God came (and

the Scripture cannot be broken),36

do you say ofHim whom the Father sanctified and sent into theworld, You are blaspheming, because I said, I amthe Son of God? 37If I do not do the works of MyFather, do not believe Me; 38but if I do, though

you do not believe Me, believe the works, that youmay know and believea that the Father is in Me,and I in Him. 39Therefore they sought again toseize Him,but He escaped out of their hand.

THEBELIEVERSBEYONDJORDAN40And He went away again beyond the Jordan

to the place where John was baptizing at first, andthere He stayed. 41Then many came to Him andsaid, John performed no sign, but all the thingsthat John spoke about this Man were true. 42Andmany believed in Him there.

THEDEATH OFLAZARUS

11Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus ofBethany, the town of Mary and her sisterMartha.

2

It was thatMary who anointed the Lordwith fragrant oil and wiped His feet with herhair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3Thereforethe sisters sent to Him, saying, Lord, behold, hewhom You love is sick.

4When Jesus heard that, He said, This sick-ness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister andLazarus. 6So, when He heard that he was sick, Hestayed two more days in the place where He was.7Then after this He said to thedisciples,Let us goto Judea again.

8Thedisciples said to Him,Rabbi, lately theJews sought to stone You, and are You going thereagain?

9Jesus answered,Are there not twelve hoursin the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does notstumble, because he sees the light of this world.

10But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, be-cause the light is not in him. 11These things Hesaid, and after that He said to them,Our friendLazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.

12Then His disciples said, Lord, if he sleepshe will get well. 13However, Jesus spoke of hisdeath, but they thought that He was speakingabout taking rest in sleep.

14Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus isdead. 15And I am glad for your sakes that I wasnot there, that you may believe. Nevertheless letus go to him.

16Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, saidto his fellow disciples,Let us also go, that we maydie with Him.

I AM THERESURRECTION AND THELIFE17So when Jesus came, He found that he had

already been in the tomb four days. 18Now

Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two milesaaway. 19And many of the Jews had joined thewomen around Martha and Mary, to comfortthem concerning their brother.

20Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus

JOHN 10:22 1242

10:26 aNU-Text omits as I said to you. 10:34 aPsalm 82:6

10:38 aNU-Text reads understand. 11:18 aLiterally fifteen stadia


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was coming, went and met Him, but Mary wassitting in the house. 21Now Martha said to Jesus,Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldnot have died. 22But even now I know that what-

ever You ask of God, God will give You.23Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise

again.24Martha said to Him, I know that he will

rise again in the resurrection at the last day.25Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and

the life. He who believes in Me, though he maydie, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believesin Me shall never die.Do you believe this?

27

She said to Him, Yes, Lord, I believe thatYou are the Christ, the Son of God, who is tocome into the world.

JESUS ANDDEATH, THELASTENEMY28And when she had said these things, she

went her way and secretly called Mary her sister,saying, The Teacher has come and is calling for

you. 29As soon as she heard that, she arosequickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had not

yet come into the town, but wasa in the placewhere Martha met Him. 31Then the Jews whowere with her in the house, and comforting her,when they saw that Mary rose up quickly andwent out, followed her, saying, She is going tothe tomb to weep there.a

32Then, when Mary came where Jesus was,and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying toHim, Lord, if You had been here, my brother

would not have died.33T

Documents

Impact Student Leadership Bible, NKJV