week of 5/31

Unit 21  Session 5

WATER TO LIVING WATER

john 4:7-11, 13-15, 19-23, 25-26

 

Key Concept:

Jesus came to give eternal life to all who believe in and worship Him.

In John 3, Jesus revealed to Nicodemus that belief in Jesus' death to pay for sins was required to enter the kingdom of God. In John 4, Jesus revealed to a non-Jewish woman with a sinful past that religious tribalism had no place in His mission to redeem sinners. Though Jews and Samaritans generally steered clear of one another, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman who needed the eternal satisfaction only He could bring.

As you examine John 4:7-11, 13-15, 19-23, 25-26:

 

✞   Identify how Jesus crossed societal boundaries to share the gift of eternal life.

✞   Consider Jesus' assertion that true worship involves worshiping in Spirit and truth.

week of 5/24

Unit 21  Session 4

HEAVEN TO EARTH

john 3:25-36

 

Key Concept:

Belief involves acknowledging the supremacy of Jesus.

Jesus began to attract a crowd after His first miracle and driving out the money changers in the temple. Not long after meeting with Nicodemus, Jesus and His disciples went out to preach the message of the kingdom. Jesus and John the Baptist found themselves baptizing in the same vicinity with crowds flocking to each. John the Baptist's disciples questioned Jesus' rise in prominence, and John took that moment to explain that true joy comes from glorifying Jesus, the Son of God.

As you examine John 3:25-36:

 

✞   Note that John understood that he was the messenger, not the Messiah.

✞   Recognize that believers lift up Jesus and humble themselves so that He gets the glory.

week of 5/16

 Unit 21  Session 3

BIRTH TO REBIRTH

john 3:5-8, 14-21

 

Key Concept:

Salvation requires being born again by the Holy Spirit and believing in Jesus Christ.

Early in Jesus' public ministry, large crowds followed Him. Yet their faith was inadequate. They were interested in Jesus - particularly in the miracles He performed - but not committed to Him. Because of their shallow faith, Jesus did not "entrust Himself" to them (John 2:24). Jesus' conversation with a man named Nicodemus in John 3 explains what true, saving faith in Jesus truly entails.

As you examine John 3:5-8, 14-21:

 

✞   Note that being born again of the Spirit is necessary for 

    entering the kingdom of God.

✞   Meditate on God's gift that believing Jesus died on the

    cross for our sins results in eternal life.

week of 5/10

Unit 21  Session 2

WORSHIP TO ZEAL

john 2:13-22

 

Key Concept:

Jesus has the authority to purify all things because it all belongs to Him.

Jesus performed many more miracles than were recorded in the Gospels (John 20:30-31), though Jesus' earthly ministry was more than a series of miraculous signs. Jesus demonstrated He is the Son of God in other ways too, including His driving out the vendors from the temple. John recorded an earlier temple cleansing than the one recorded by the other Gospel writers that took place during the week prior to His crucifixion. In this earlier incident, everyone who witnessed the event recognized that Jesus asserted authority like no other teacher of the law.

As you examine John 2:13-22:

 

✞   Recognize that the temple, where God dwelled with His people,

    had become a place of business and greed as opposed to a 

    place of worship.

✞   Dwell on the fact that Jesus pointed to His future death and 

    resurrection as a sign of His authority for His actions.

week of 5/3

Unit 21  Session 1

WATER TO WINE

john 2:1-11

 

Key Concept:

Jesus' power over creation reveals His divine glory and our only hope for salvation.

The prologue to John's Gospel declared Jesus to be God (1:1), the One through Whom all things were created (1:3), and the revelation of the Father's glory (1:14). Then John recounted John the Baptist's witness (1:19-34) and Jesus' calling of His first disciples (1:35-51). Turning water into wine was Jesus' first miraculous sign recounted in John's Gospel. The site of this first miracle, Cana, was a town in the region of Galilee near Jesus' hometown of Nazareth. This episode marked the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.

As you examine John 2:1-11:

 

✞   Contemplate that while the Father's will was Jesus' first priority,

    He also met the needs of others.

✞   Recognize that this miracle revealed Jesus' glory and further

    convinced His disciples to believe in Him.

week of 4/26

Unit 20  Session 4

JESUS CALLED FOLLOWERS

john 1:35-37, 40-51

 

Key Concept:

Following Jesus means acknowledging Him as Savior, God, and King.

John's Gospel begins with a description of Jesus as the Logos, the eternal "Word" of God, a signifier of Jesus' divinity and a bold statement concerning the Son's co-existence with the Father prior to creation (vv. 1-5). John also summarized John the Baptist's ministry, who pointed to Jesus' messianic identity and mission. Jesus is the Word Who became flesh (v. 14) and "the Lamb of God" who died to take away the sins of the world (vv. 29-34). Some of John's disciples took his words to heart and followed Jesus (vv. 35-51).

As you examine John 1:35-37, 40-51:

 

✞   Recognize that John acknowledged Jesus as the Lamb of God,

    and thus, his disciples followed Jesus.

✞   Contemplate the words of Nathaniel's response when he

    witnessed Jesus' omniscience.

week of 4/19

Unit 20  Session 3

JESUS WAS TEMPTED

LUKE 4:1-13

 

Key Concept:

Like Jesus, we can turn to Scripture to help us handle temptation.

Following the glorious affirmation of the Father for the Son at Jesus' baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert, where He fasted for forty days and was eventually tempted by Satan. Jesus' responses to three specific temptations demonstrated both His commitment to God's will and His readiness for the ministry task before Him.

As you examine Luke 4:1-13:

 

✞   Reflect on the truth that Jesus, being human, 

    experienced temptation just as we do.

✞   Identify the means Jesus used to resist

    temptation and obey the Father.