Illuminate: Shining a Light on a Better Way of Living Part 1

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1 Westbrook Part 1

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3 Illuminate: Shining a Light on a Better Way of Living Part 1 We all want a better life. Even those us of who would say our life is pretty good would say that our life could be better. There are habits we want to break, habits we want to make, and traits we would love to improve. The good news is there s a way to have a better life. There s a person who can show us how we change our life. That person boldly proclaimed, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. That person is Jesus and he came to give us life. The Gospel of John uses the word life over 35 times in the 21 chapters. John 3:16 famously tells us that God will give us eternal life In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that he came to give us an abundant life. Without a doubt, John believes that Jesus offers us a better life. The question before us, however, is what does that eternal, abundant, better life look like. Over the next 12 weeks, we will be examining the life of Jesus in the book of John in order to be illuminated. 1

4 How to use this Study Guide This guide is broken up into 6 weeks and covers the first half of our John Series. Don't feel the need to hurry through the guide. Take as long as you need to study John and let it sink in. There are three passages each week to read. We won t be covering every passage in the book of John, but we encourage you to go back and read the passages we don t cover. Before you read each passage, find some space where you can focus and spend a few moments in prayer. When you read, read each passage slowly a couple times through. Chew on it for a while and reflect on the devotional thought. Talk to God about what you ve read and use the questions to think about how you are going to live it out. You also might want to find a journal to write down your thoughts. In addition to this guide, make a point to be in weekend worship for each part of this series. Worshiping together and hearing God's word together gives God another opportunity to shape your soul and prepare you to follow Jesus. So we encourage you, even if it is just for this series, make a commitment to gather with us as much as you can this summer. Finally, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Let us know how your study is going and look for our posts throughout the week. Special Thanks to We want to offer special thanks to Stan Washington, Dave Jenkins, Rob Daniels, and Peter Stevens who all contributed to the study guide you re about to read. We also want to thank Judith McKinnon and Daisy Saldana who helped to translate this guide into Spanish. 2

5 Background of John In this series, we will be studying passages from the book of John. John is the fourth Gospel in the New Testament. It is different from other three Gospels. Many of the stories and teachings found in the book of John differ from those found in the other three Gospels. In spite of those differences, John clearly tells the same Good News shared in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. What is a Gospel? The word gospel means "Good News" or "Glad Tidings". In the time of the Romans, a gospel message was often good news of victory or a pronouncement about the Emperor. In the context of scripture, the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are the news about Jesus and his life. In the first century, the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus was counter cultural to the "gospel" proclamation that Caesar was Lord. The Gospel of John is an announcement of the Good News that Jesus is Lord. Who wrote this book? Although the author is not clearly named in the book, it is traditionally held that the John was written by the Apostle John, brother of James and son of Zebedee. In addition he is also believed to be the author of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation. When? Most scholars believe that John was written between around AD 90, after all the other Gospels had been written and before John died. Why? John himself wrote in 20:30-31, Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. What should I look for? In our study of John the focus is on Jesus, the life He lived, and the life that He gives to us. As you read the book of John, pay close attention for the ways that John emphasizes who Jesus is as the Son of God and Savior of the World and for the ways that faith in Jesus and following Him gives us access to eternal life. Also look for the ways that John emphasizes the relationship of the Father, Son, and Spirit and how he makes it clear that Jesus shows us what God is like. 3

6 Key Verses: Let these verses be your guide over the next few weeks. If you can memorize them, that s great. If not, write them on a note card or sticky note and put it where you can see it often. Our prayer is that these words will simmer in you over the next few months. Week 1: In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5 Week 2: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Week 3: Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:13 14 Week 4: My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don t you have a saying, It s still four months until harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:34 35 Week 5: Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 Week 6: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 4

7 Week 1: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 1:1-13 As we begin our study of John s Gospel, John gives us a glimpse of something out of this world. He takes us back to the beginning and gives us a glimpse of eternity. We see the Word there in the beginning with God and John even identifies this word as God. This Word was present in the beginning, all things were created through Him, life is from Him, and He shines His light in the darkness to bring us life. But there s a problem. We know from the story of Genesis (see Genesis 1-3) that the world is broken. Sin brought spiritual darkness to the world and so the Word, the True Light, came to bring the light of salvation. His own creation, however, didn t recognize him. In these first 13 verses, John is setting the stage for the rest of his book. He is telling us who Jesus is, where he came from, and what he did. He goes back further than any of the other Gospels to make a clear statement that Jesus, who is the Word (see 1:14), who is one with the Father and the Spirit, who was there at creation, and who is the true light has come to give us the right to become God s children. This is Good News and John wants us to know it s all about Jesus. What stood out to you in this passage? Who is Jesus to you? What does it feel like to be called a child of God? How does knowing you are a child of God impact your relationship with Him? Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 1 Live: Remembering this week that Jesus came that we might become children of God, is there anyone in your life you need to share Jesus with so that they might experience the joy of becoming children of God? 1 From The Book of Common Prayer 5

8 Week 1: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. For today s reading, also read it in the Message if you can. You can find the Message version at biblegateway.com. Read: John 1:14-18 John 1:14 is probably one of my favorite verses and Eugene Peterson s paraphrase in the Message really captures the spirit of it. Peterson phrased it this way, The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. 2 John frequently reminds his readers that Jesus shows us what God is like. He came from the Father to show us the light, to reveal truth to us, and to give us grace. So often, many of us view the Bible through the rules and regulations that we have been taught and we fail to see that God of grace. Jesus came to do just that. He showed us the truth of our situation and then offered us grace instead of condemnation. He came to show us what was really like God, to give us life, and a new way to live. What stood out to you in this passage? What have been some of your views of God? In what way does Jesus change your view of God? What does it mean that Jesus left his place with God and became human? (See Philippians 2:5-11) Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Live: Remembering this week that Jesus came that we might become children of God, is there anyone in your life you need to share Jesus with so that they might experience the joy of becoming children of God? 2 Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005), Jn 1:14. 6

9 Week 1: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 1:29-42 Again, John takes us back to the Old Testament. This time we go back to the Passover in Exodus. John the Baptist sees Jesus walking and cries out, There s the Lamb of God! This sounds a little strange to us, but it would have caused people to think about Passover and the sacrificial system. In Exodus 12, each Israelite family sacrificed a lamb and put the blood over their door to be saved from death. Every year, they sacrificed another lamb to remember what God had done. There were also many other sacrifices happening throughout the year offered up to save them from the punishment of God. They sacrificed to atone for their sins. Then Jesus shows up and John says, Look, here s the guy I was telling you about. He s going to take away all sins everywhere. This is bigger than any animal sacrifice that had ever been offered. Jesus was going to complete the work once and for all. It s no wonder that Andrew was so eager to follow Jesus. He even goes to tell his brother, Peter, that he d found the Messiah. From the beginning, it s clear that John is trying to tell us that Jesus came to change the world. What stood out to you in this passage? Put yourself in Andrew s shoes. How would you respond to what John the Baptist said? Do you have the kind of enthusiasm for Jesus that Andrew did? Jesus came to change the world and give us new life. Have you made the step to accept Jesus and let him change your life? If you haven t, what is holding you back? If you have, which areas of your life are you still needing to let Jesus change? Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Live: Remembering this week that Jesus came that we might become children of God, is there anyone in your life you need to share Jesus with so that they might experience the joy of becoming children of God? 7

10 Week 2: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 3:1-8 Sometimes you just want to start over. You want a new beginning. Sometimes it s a small thing like a bad day of work that you wish you could do over. Other times, it s a major life decision that we wish we could go back and redo. The good news is we can have a new beginning. We can t go back and change the past, but we can have a brand new life. It seems impossible, but we can have a new life because of Jesus. In John 3, Jesus confuses Nicodemus by telling that he can be born again, that he can start a new life. Jesus, however, didn t mean a physical rebirth, he meant a spiritual birth into a new life. Jesus came to give us access to a new life, life from the spirit. We find out more about what kind of life this is in John 3:16, but here the amazing thing is that we can start fresh. We can have a new life. Maybe, like Nicodemus, you are wondering how this could be possible. By accepting Jesus, we can start over. We can have a new beginning. Paul describes it as becoming a new creation. What stood out to you in this passage? Have you ever wished for a new life or a fresh start? Why? Did you turn to Jesus in this time? Why or why not? What was your life like before you accepted Jesus and after you accepted Jesus? Lord God, creator of the world, we rejoice that you can make all things new. Give us grace to trust you daily for fresh love and inspiration, fresh courage and perseverance. Make us always ready to see the new ways you show us and to follow you in whichever direction you lead. May the Lord Jesus himself ever be new to us, and so may our love for him. 3 Live: How do you want to live this week as a person with a new life in Jesus? Are there any things you want to stop or start? 3 Frank Colquhoun, ed., Prayers for Today (London: Triangle; SPCK, 1989),

11 Week 2: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 3:9-21 The idea of living forever pops up in all kinds of myths, legends, comic books, movies, and TV shows. It s intriguing to us because of the power that it would bring us. We would love to have all the time in the world to accumulate wealth, to learn new skills, do whatever we want to do, and most of all, we would love to cheat death. Whether it s a desire for power or a fear of death, I m sure that mean of us have at least thought about living forever. The amazing thing is you can. You can have eternal life and you can have it now. Now it may not surprise you to know that you can have eternal life if you believe in Jesus. Most of us know or have at least heard of John 3:16, but did you know that all of the references to getting eternal life in John 3 are all present tense. Maybe your Bible renders the as will have, but in Greek, the implied meaning in each reference is that eternal life can be a present reality not just a future one. Jesus death, burial, and resurrection gives us access to new life now, not just in the future. Believing in Jesus brings us into the light now and gives us salvation in the present. Yes, we will live forever with Jesus in the end, but we get to live with him in our lives now, too. Jesus changes our reality and brings life to our dying souls now. You don t have to wait for heaven to have eternal life, it starts the moment you choose Jesus. What stood out to you in this passage? Do you think of eternal life as more of a future or present reality? How does viewing it as a present reality change the way you see it? If our life with God begins now and not simply in heaven, how does that change the way we live? Lord God, creator of the world, we rejoice that you can make all things new. Give us grace to trust you daily for fresh love and inspiration, fresh courage and perseverance. Make us always ready to see the new ways you show us and to follow you in whichever direction you lead. May the Lord Jesus himself ever be new to us, and so may our love for him. Live: How do you want to live this week as a person with a new life in Jesus? Are there any things you want to stop or start? 9

12 Week 2: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 3:22-30 What fills you with joy? Beyond what simply makes you smile, brings you excitement, or simply causes you to laugh, what brings you joy? Maybe it s your spouse, your children, or something that you love to do. For John the Baptist it was his mission. His mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah. There s no doubt that this was a vital mission. He served as an important guide for the people of his day and for us. The gospel writer shows John the Baptist clearly telling his audience that Jesus was the guy to follow. This mission, however, couldn t have been easy for John. It meant getting out of the way. While most of us want the attention and praise, John basically told his followers that it was his role to grab people s attention and then fade into the background. He had to do this for Jesus to receive his due honor. It s hard to be the person who does a lot of hard work only for someone else to be the center of attention, but that s what John was sent to do and he took joy in it. He took joy in Jesus taking his rightful place. I don t know about you, but I often want to put myself first. I imagine that John may have struggled with that temptation as well. Ultimately, however, John knows what s most important. Jesus has come with a specific purpose. John proclaimed that Jesus has come to give us life and John rejoiced to see Jesus show up and begin to do his work. In a very similar way, when Jesus comes into our lives, we need to surrender the top spot in order for Jesus to give us the gift of eternal life. What stood out to you in this passage? How good are you at letting others take a more important role? Is it hard to surrender the position of importance? Jesus asks for the most important spot in our hearts and lives. Are you letting Jesus take over? What areas of your live do you need to surrender first place over to Jesus? Lord God, creator of the world, we rejoice that you can make all things new. Give us grace to trust you daily for fresh love and inspiration, fresh courage and perseverance. Make us always ready to see the new ways you show us and to follow you in whichever direction you lead. May the Lord Jesus himself ever be new to us, and so may our love for him. Live: How do you want to live this week as a person with a new life in Jesus? Are there any things you want to stop or start? 10

13 Week 3: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 3:31-36 In this passage John the Baptist is asked about the coming Messiah. After making it clear that he (John the baptist) is not the Messiah, he must then try to communicate to his listeners just who is this long awaited Deliverer. John seeks to explain to those who are finite what an infinite God is like. Philip Yancey in his book, Reaching for the Invisible God, writes this, An infinite God relating to human beings presents far more of as challenge than a man relating to his dog perhaps a man communicating with a wood tick is a closer analogy. Communication between such unequal creatures will inevitably cause confusion and disappointment on both sides Apart from the Incarnation and rare epiphanies, however, God shows little interest in corresponding on our level. Rather God seeks from us correspondence in a spiritual realm and seems more interested in other kinds of growth: justice, mercy, peace. grace and love spiritual qualities that can work themselves out in a material world. Once again we find the gospel writer telling us who Jesus is and what awaits those who accept him. As we will find in the next couple of readings, Jesus is not only the one who made the enormous step down from heaven to become one of us, but he offers us the most amazing gift if only we will receive it. What stands out in this passage for you? What do you think is the most difficult thing to understand about the nature of Jesus? What is the most reassuring belief you hold to regarding the personal of the mission of Jesus? All-knowing and all-caring God, we are like a parched desert, empty and in need of replenishment. Visit us with your presence, saturate us with your Spirit, and bathe us in your streams of living water, that our lives might acknowledge and worship you to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. Amen. 4 Live: Where do you have the tendency to go for fulfillment instead of Jesus? What can you do to make sure this is displaced and doesn t continue to become an idol? 4 From The Worship Sourcebook (Grand Rapids, MI; Baker, 2004),

14 Week 3: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 4:1-15 The disdain with which people speak of certain regions of our nation and certain cities is alarming. Poverty, racial animosity and class conflict, broken and dysfunctional families, crime and drug addiction are out of control. The nightly news reports keep a running total of the body count of those lost to senseless gun violence. We absolve ourselves from responsibility and culpability. We tell ourselves that these places and those people are simply a lost cause. All that bad stuff is someone else s problem and it s best if we just stay away from those places and those people with a ten foot pole. Then, there is the way of Jesus. In this passage, Jesus travels with intent and purpose through a region of His world that is notorious to the sensibilities of any good law-abiding and God-fearing Jew. Not only does He intentionally travel through the region but he actually speaks with someone who lives in this area. But that s the thing with Jesus, His love knows no limit, it will not acknowledge human bound borders. Jesus recognizes that He is the only hope that the world has and to that end, he extends that hope to everyone who crosses His path. What stands out in this passage for you? What were some of the preconceived notions the Samaritan woman had about Jesus and why? When Jesus offered this Samaritan woman water eternal thirst quenching water, what was he talking about? All-knowing and all-caring God, we are like a parched desert, empty and in need of replenishment. Visit us with your presence, saturate us with your Spirit, and bathe us in your streams of living water, that our lives might acknowledge and worship you to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. Amen. Live: Where do you have the tendency to go for fulfillment instead of Jesus? What can you do to make sure this is displaced and doesn t continue to become an idol? 12

15 Week 3: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 4:16-26 Years ago, I took a class that focused on becoming a more effective spiritual leader. One aspect of the class was the encouragement to figure out what elements had gone into your life s story and had consequently formed a unique sore spot in the logic of your heart. The idea was that there are things that impact and are directed into your heart. Things like your family of origin, your emerging self concept, emotions, feeling and the human will. We learned that there are quite often themes that then emerge in your life of significant consequence. The ultimate question that was asked during this course was for us to consider what our individual sore spots were. What half-truths and outright lies had we believed about ourselves? What misinformation had been passed on to us as if it were truth about God Himself? Much like this woman at the well, Jesus wants to confront whatever lies we have been told and that we have told ourselves. Those lies will keep us from a life-giving and live sustaining relationship with the giver of life and the spring of ever-lasting water, Jesus! What stands out in this passage for you? What evidence do you see in this passage that the Samaritan woman has several sore spots that are negatively impacting her life? What occurs in this passage that indicates that Jesus is interested in leading the Samaritan woman toward the healing of her heart sore spots? All-knowing and all-caring God, we are like a parched desert, empty and in need of replenishment. Visit us with your presence, saturate us with your Spirit, and bathe us in your streams of living water, that our lives might acknowledge and worship you to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. Amen. Live: Where do you have the tendency to go for fulfillment instead of Jesus? What can you do to make sure this is displaced and doesn t continue to become an idol? 13

16 Week 4: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 4:27-42 The text says, No one asked, but I m sure that they all thought it. Jewish teachers didn t associate with women and especially not Samaritan women. A few of them probably thought that it certainly wasn t worth their time to stop in Samaria. They may have even had thoughts similar to Jonah who would have rather seen God destroy the Ninevites than forgive them. Jesus, however, saw it differently. Jesus listened to the Samaritan woman without the prejudice of race or gender. He knew she was a sinner and listened with the intent to heal her no matter what she said. Jesus challenges his disciples to do the same. He dared them to look past the label of Samaritan and see what he saw. He saw a harvest field. He saw hearts that were ready to hear the Gospel. He saw people in need of grace. That s hard for me to do, but quite possible. God wants me to be ready to show grace at all times; otherwise I won t be shown grace. God wants me to listen to people without my prejudice filters. He wants me to see past the labels so that I can pray earnestly for that person. Forgiveness, grace, and mercy don t come easily from me. When I have my mind set that the opposition is a schemer and not worth my time, I put my defense mechanism up and capture their words as being poison. I must view the person like God views them and myself, namely someone in need of God s forgiveness. What stands out in this passage for you? Do you see yourself the way God sees you? Do you see others the way God sees them? Explain. Is there someone in your community that you have prejudged because of who they are or what they do? How would Jesus view that person? Stir us, O God, with your vibrant desire. Move us, O God, to work for your justice. Inspire us, O God, to active service. Keep us, O God, from complacent indifference. Challenge us, O God, with your compassion and mercy. Take and shape us, O God, to live and love as your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. 5 Live: This week, ask God to help you see yourself, the people around you, and the world through his eyes. 5 Ian Black, Prayers for All Occasions (London: SPCK, 2011),

17 Week 4: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 5:1-15 Jesus saw the paralyzed man and realized that he had been there for a while. He asks him, Do you want to get better? We would all say, Of course!, but the man gave excuses. We don t know what was actually in this man s heart, but it seems that Jesus called out his lack of desire to get better. Surely in 38 years, he could have found someone to help him. Maybe he tried for a long time. Maybe nobody would ever help him. Whatever the case was, his answer seems to indicate that he had fallen into a certain way of viewing himself. On the outside he appears to be just a few feet from healing, but instead of finding a way in, it looks like he made a lifestyle out of his circumstance. Maybe that s why Jesus picked out this man to be healed. God, the creator of universe, decided to pursue him. In the middle of his apathy, Jesus saw his need for a fresh vision of life. He saw the paralytic had given up, so he showed up to give him new life. What do you want? What do you desire? Take a minute and really think about it. Our desires reveal what really in our hearts. Do we really want to overcome the obstacles in front of us? Do we really want to get better? Or are we making a lifestyle out of wanting to get better but never doing anything about it? Whatever the case may be, Jesus is there waiting. He s waiting for you to say you want to get better. It will mean finding a new way of life, but Jesus can help with that too. What stands out in this passage for you? If Jesus asked you, Do you want to get better?, what would you say? Do you have any excuses? Find something to write on or a quiet place to think. Finish this sentence, God, what I most need/want from you right now is. Stir us, O God, with your vibrant desire. Move us, O God, to work for your justice. Inspire us, O God, to active service. Keep us, O God, from complacent indifference. Challenge us, O God, with your compassion and mercy. Take and shape us, O God, to live and love as your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Live: This week, ask God to help you see yourself, the people around you, and the world through his eyes. 15

18 Week 4: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 6:1-15 As a parent, I often ask questions when I already know the answer. Clearly, this not a tactic original to parents because Jesus does the same thing to Philip. He asks Philip in order to see what kind of solution he will devise. So far in the gospel of John, Jesus has turned water into wine and he s healed multiple people. When we read this, we think maybe Philip will realize that Jesus can solve this problem. He doesn t. He still doesn t get it. Andrew, on the other hand, seems to get it. For the second time in John, Andrew brings someone to Jesus. He brings a boy with a meager meal. Maybe Andrew didn t know exactly what Jesus what do, but it seems that he knew Jesus could do something. Are you more like Philip or Andrew in this story? Do you have a big vision of what Jesus can do? My hesitations sometimes stem from not wanting to look foolish. Sometimes I am suspicious about God still performing miracles because I have acquired higher education. Like Philip who has seen Jesus do great things, I forget that God is all powerful, all seeing, all knowing and resides everywhere. Any situation is easy for Him to clear up. He has the power to do great things. When I open my spiritual eyes, I can see God perform miracles. When I remove doubt about God, I can see He will do some incredible things through some doubtful people like me. When I believe He will do larger things that I can t explain, God steps up and shows me how powerful He can be. Jesus knows exactly what He is going to do in my life and wants me to see He can do some incredible things if I would only believe. What stands out in this passage for you? So are you more like Philip or Andrew? Explain. How can you begin trusting Jesus more? Stir us, O God, with your vibrant desire. Move us, O God, to work for your justice. Inspire us, O God, to active service. Keep us, O God, from complacent indifference. Challenge us, O God, with your compassion and mercy. Take and shape us, O God, to live and love as your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Live: This week, ask God to help you see yourself, the people around you, and the world through his eyes. 16

19 Week 5: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 6:35-51 Jesus says strange things sometimes and this may be one of the strangest. He calls people to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He calls himself bread and says that eating this bread will cause someone to never be hungry. People are turned off by Jesus words because they don t want to be cannibals and drinking blood is specifically prohibited by the Law of Moses. If you fast forward in the life of Jesus to the Last Supper you will find Jesus calling us to take the bread and the wine which represent his body and his blood (Mt 26:26-29, Mk 14:22-25, & Lk 22:14-23). Interestingly enough, John doesn t include this particular instruction in his telling of the Last Supper. N.T. Wright argues that Jesus words here, similar to a statement made by David in 2 Samuel 23:17, mean that benefiting from the sacrifice of Jesus is like eating the flesh and drinking blood of Jesus. Our life will be nourished from the broken flesh and to spilled blood at the cross. In a way, communion acknowledges the reality that we have received life from Jesus and we do that by eating of his body and drinking from his blood. While all of this can be confusing, what isn t confusing is Peter s answer to Jesus later in verse 68. To whom shall we go? You have the words of Eternal life. What stands out in this passage for you? What do you consume? Are you filling yourself with Jesus and the life that he gives or are you filling yourself with something else? We ve talked about eternal life a few times. Are you able to grasp the phrase eternal life? How often do you think of eternity and what that truly means? Gracious God, We thank you for the love that brings us food from heaven, gives us the life of your dear Son, and assures us that we belong to the company of all his faithful people in heaven and on earth. Grant that, strengthened by this fellowship and by the power of his Holy Spirit, we may continue his work in the world, until we come to the glory of your eternal kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. 6 Live: In what ways can you lean into God and rely on Him to sustain you this week? 6 From The Worship Sourcebook (Grand Rapids, MI; Baker, 2004),

20 Week 5: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 7:33-39 Water is an essential part of life. Maybe you are like me and you spend your day wondering to and from the water cooler. It s such a blessing to have access to clean life giving water that many people in the world don t have. Access to clean water helps prevent disease and extend life. Once again, Jesus uses a physical reality like thirst to shine a light on the life that he can give us. We saw back in John 4 that Jesus will give us access to live giving water that will never let us thirst. In John 7, Jesus takes it a step further and says that not only will he give us this water, but whoever excepts it will have have a stream of living water flowing from within them. This life source is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is promising that God himself will come and dwell in our hearts. After believing in Him, He gives us the Holy Spirit to reside in us. The empty hole in our hearts will now be filled to the point of overflowing. When this happens, we move from not only receiving life from Jesus to being able to share that life as well. We start to see other people and their needs whereas before we could only see our. The Spirit gives us life so that we can also share with others the great news of Jesus. What stands out in this passage for you? If you have received Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit. Do you try to tap into this source of life on a regular basis or do you still find yourself turning back to sources of unclean water? Why? Have you ever thought about how the life that you have received is there for you to share? Gracious God, We thank you for the love that brings us food from heaven, gives us the life of your dear Son, and assures us that we belong to the company of all his faithful people in heaven and on earth.grant that, strengthened by this fellowship and by the power of his Holy Spirit, we may continue his work in the world, until we come to the glory of your eternal kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. Live: In what ways can you lean into God and rely on Him to sustain you this week? 18

21 Week 5: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 8:31-47 As a child sitting next to the window, I could see a bird soar. I wished I could be outside again enjoying the warm weather but my daydream was cut short when the teacher asked me a question. Later in life, I walked to work after class one summer and I saw everyone gathering to have some fun. I longed to be with them but the punch-clock said different. Even later, I sat in a high pressured meeting and remembered days with no responsibility. I just want to be free! I thought to myself. The way I define freedom means I am free from responsibilities, free from blame, free from doubt, free from worries. I want to be free to do what I want, free to run wild, free to have what I want to have, free to say what I want to say. What is so bad with all that? you ask. My definition of freedom is bathed with selfishness. I don t want to be bothered with life and I want to just check out from problems without facing them, this turns to blaming others and even worse blaming God for constraining me so much. God s freedom, however, is a different way of living. The Son sets us free from slavery to the law. He sets us free from the condemnation that the law brings and gives us over to a new command. We will see later in John 13 that there is a new law, to love one another as Jesus has loved. The law is concerned with your rightness, freedom in Christ lets us be concerned with how well we love God and each other. What stands out in this passage for you? Have you thought about freedom in this way before? Have you thought about life in Christ frees us from legalism and opens us up to love like Jesus did? What does this look like in your life? What are the things that still hold you captive in your life? Ask Jesus to show you how you can live under his freedom. Gracious God, We thank you for the love that brings us food from heaven, gives us the life of your dear Son, and assures us that we belong to the company of all his faithful people in heaven and on earth. Grant that, strengthened by this fellowship and by the power of his Holy Spirit, we may continue his work in the world, until we come to the glory of your eternal kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. Live: In what ways can you lean into God and rely on Him to sustain you this week? 19

22 Week 6: Reading 1 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 10:1-10 For most of us who live in modern urban America the illustrations of shepherds, gates, watchman, and sheep is a strange distant world. We must work hard to understand the culture that gave us these illustrations. Yet, as we read these illustrations we should note that those who first heard them, though they were culturally aware, still missed the point. Jesus had to repeat and explain further. Jesus gives an illustration of a fenced in flock of sheep. This likely happened at night. The fence may have been created by cutting thorny bush branches at dusk to encircle the sheep to keep them together and predators and thieves out. A watchman (probably a relative but possibly a hired friend of the owning shepherd) was inside the fence. The watchman would only allow the shepherd to enter by the gate at night. The shepherd would lead the sheep out at daybreak as he called them by name. The shepherd has a fabulous memory for the sheep s name and heritage. The illustration seems profoundly deep while simple. Yet most didn t get it. How does the point of entrance in a relationship determine the relationship s authenticity? What do you think is included in Jesus teaching about the Shepherd going ahead of the sheep? Eternal care? The cross? Details of ordinary life? Do you find comfort in Jesus teaching that He is the gate? Why or why not? Why do you think many who heard this illustration didn t understand it? Lord Jesus, You are the True Shepherd of our souls. You meet us in places of honesty with no manipulation. You know the details of our lives and are always with us. May we simply hear your voice and follow. Live: How will you escape the distractions of our time to hear Jesus voice calling you today? 20

23 Week 6: Reading 2 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 10:11-18 Not only is the Jesus the Gate, but now he begins explaining how He is the Good Shepherd. He contrasts His shepherding with those of hired hands. The true shepherd is willing to go much farther to care for his sheep. Jesus says multiple times in these 7 verses that he will sacrifice his life and lay down his life for the sheep. Not only is Jesus our shepherd, but he makes a clear statement of what his purpose is. He will do whatever it takes to care for his people. Then He raises some very interesting points. One is that there are other sheep that are not in the pen He presently is referring to. He discusses how the relationship of the Trinity plays out in the shepherding illustration. This section of scripture contains profound moments to ponder, but in all of it Jesus trying to paint a picture of how much he loves his sheep and tells us exactly what his plan is. What does it mean to you that this good Shepherd knows the names and details of many sheep? Does this encourage you? Why or why not? What do you think Jesus is referring to when He mentions sheep who are not of this pen? How do you think Jesus intends to bring these other sheep into the pen? Do you see Jesus discussing one flock and one shepherd as further evidence that following Jesus is an exclusive matter? Why or why not? What does it say about the nature of the Trinity that Jesus teaches that He gives up His life both out of choice and obedience? Lord Jesus, We see you in great simplicity. You are our good Shepherd. You know us. You gave your life for us. We choose to follow you and to know you. We choose from our own free will to obey you. Help us to live out these truths. May we live the profound with great practicality. Live: How will you live this week confident of the love and direction of Jesus our Good shepherd? 21

24 Week 6: Reading 3 Focus: As you prepare for this study, spend a few moments in silence to focus, pray, and then slowly read the following passage a couple of times. Read: John 11:17-26 The text we read here is part of a larger story of Jesus relationship with three siblings Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. They are dear friends. Author Frank Viola even argues that these 3 were his closest friends and that their house was his favorite place on Earth in his book God's Favorite Place on Earth. In this larger story, we see Jesus human compassion. He weeps for the family as He sees their grief. We also see Jesus patience and purpose. He does not quickly respond to outside pressure. He leaves margins for God to operate. As we come to this text Lazarus has been dead for days while Jesus who could have healed him previously has delayed His visit to these family friends. When he comforts Martha, Jesus says, I am the Resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. This sounds a little weird to our ears. We don t talk much in our day to day lives about resurrection and for Jesus to say that He is the Resurrection is about as foreign to our ears as discussion of sheep and shepherds. Jesus, however, is declaring that He embodies life and the Resurrection. He is, as Paul says in Colossians 1:18, the firstborn from among the dead. If you are looking for new life, you need Jesus. Lazarus needed a new physical life, but Jesus offers much more than that. He offers us new and everlasting life. Why do you think Martha quickly came out to meet Jesus? Why do you think Mary stayed at home as word reached that Jesus was near their village of Bethany? What do you see Martha wrestling with as she states that if Jesus had been near Lazarus would still be alive? How did Jesus react to Martha? What was His response to Mary? Why do you think He was so deeply moved by Lazarus death? Death is a defeated enemy. When Jesus walked out of a grave, He made it so that we can walk out of one, too. How does this truth influence your perspective on life and death? When you think of death, are you fearful or confident? Lord Jesus, Our lives are finite. Death is our destination. This has been brought to us by our sin. You are our answer. You are our hope. You are the Resurrection. You are the Life. We believe. Live: How can change your hear to trust God s sovereignty in your disappointments and your joys? 22

25 Part 1 Conclusion Even though we are only half way through the series, this is a great time to stop and reflect on what we have learned so far. The first few weeks, John seeks to give use clear picture of who Jesus is and the life he made available to us. We get pictures of who Jesus is. He is the Light of the World, He is the Word, He is the Bread of Life, He his the gate and the Good Shepherd, and He is the Resurrection and the Life. All of these portraits give us a glimpse into who Jesus is and the Life that he offers to us. While the first part of our series has taken place over a couple years in the life of Jesus, the next half of our series is going to primarily focus on the last week of Jesus life. Starting in John 13 with the Last Supper we will move through Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. We hope that you will continue with us in this journey. Look for the next study guide this weekend at Westbrook and continue to follow along as continue to explore the abundant life that Jesus Christ offers to everyone. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 23

26 What s Next? You might be wondering what s next for you. Here are a few of suggestions that will help you in your journey: At the beginning of this study we challenged you to be at Westbrook every Sunday during this series. Keep up that commitment. We believe that there is great value in encountering God each week with fellow believers through worship. Find a Connect Group. We have groups for men, women, couples, and young adults. Go to westbrookchurch.org/groups and get connected to God and others through one of our Connect Groups. Make a commitment to ask yourself how you can live like Jesus each morning. Maybe you can even write this down in a journal. Each day, or once a week, before you go to bed ask yourself how your day went and whether or not you were able to live like Jesus that day. Spend some time talking with God about it, and seek out His help to continue this journey. 24

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