THE TRUTH WHO, NOT WHAT JANUARY 18, 2015
WHAT IS TRUTH? JOHN 14:1-7 JANUARY 18, 2015 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying John 14:1-7. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: The 14th chapter of John s Gospel continues what some Bible scholars designate as Jesus farewell discourses or speeches (John 13 17). Anticipating the sorrow His disciples would experience at His departure, Jesus offered a message of comfort and consolation to enable them to live confidently. Jesus encouraged them to trust His Person and purpose (John 14:1-2), and He gave them assurance about His way (vv. 3-7). TEACHING AIM: As a result of today s study, you will learn about 1) Jesus divinity; 2) Jesus humanity; and 3) the importance of knowing Him. 2 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. Prior to your group meeting, have white boards, chalk boards, or large sheets of paper with the questions, What do you believe about Jesus? and What does our culture believe about Jesus? written on them. As your group members arrive, encourage them to write their answers to the questions on the papers. Then begin your meeting by having a discussion about people s answers and the following questions. What is the most common misrepresentation of Jesus in the media? What is your favorite thing that you know to be true about Jesus? What we know about Jesus is revealed to us by other people, the universe, and the Bible. That understanding, though, is often questioned by others who claim that Jesus was just a teacher, that Jesus was just a prophet, or that Jesus never existed at all. Scripture teaches us that Jesus is the truth upon which we build our lives, and by knowing Him we can know Truth. In order to be confident in the area of apologetics, we must start by personally knowing the Truth, not just knowing about Him. Knowing Jesus is the most important thing you can focus on in this new year. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. Throughout the centuries few people have denied the existence of the man Jesus. A fierce battle has always raged, however, concerning who He really was and what He did while He was on earth. The Christian faith hinges on the truth that Jesus is both fully God and fully man, and that He came to earth to live a sinless life, die a sinner s death on the cross, and rise from the dead so that you and I can have an eternal relationship with God. Let s look at a few passages of Scripture that help us understand these truths. 3 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
> Have volunteers read the following passages: John 1:1; John 8:58; John 10:30; and John 20:28. One of the primary reasons John wrote his book was to show that Jesus is God. To John and the early disciples, this fact was of the utmost importance; it was and is essential to what we believe as Christians. Why does the fact that Jesus is God matter? Why is it essential that someone believe in Jesus divinity in order to be a Christian? What would some of the implications be if Jesus were not fully God? The implications for us are enormous if we do not believe in the divinity of Jesus. Because Jesus claims to be God, if He is not God, then He is a mad man. That means every word from the mouth of Jesus can be trusted only if Jesus was and is God. If, on the other hand, we believe what Jesus says about Himself, it means that we can know everything we need to know about God by looking to Jesus. > Have a volunteer read Hebrews 2:14-18. From this passage in Hebrews, what do you learn about the importance of Jesus being fully human, in addition to being fully divine? Which phrases in this passage describe the experience of being human? How does Jesus experience as a human compare to our experience? Central to Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is, God manifest in human flesh. The evidence for this is as follows: 1. Truth about reality is knowable. 2. Opposites cannot both be true. 3. God exists. 4. Miracles are possible. 5. A miracle is an act of God to confirm the truth of God claimed by a messenger of God. 6. The New Testament documents are reliable. 7. In the New Testament Jesus claimed to be God. 8. Jesus proved to be God by an unprecedented convergence of miracles. 9. Therefore, Jesus was God in human flesh. Geisler, N. L. (1999). In Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics (p. 129). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 4 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
What characteristics of God are demonstrated through Christ becoming human? Jesus became flesh and blood when He was born on earth. He was like us in every way except He was sinless. Jesus also died. Jesus was fully human and fully God simultaneously. Jesus became human to destroy the Devil, who has power over death. As believers, we can replace the power and fear of death with the promise of eternal life. Death will still occur, but we need not be afraid of it. We have the assurance that death cannot separate believers from God s love. Jesus will one day destroy death completely. What is the significance of Jesus being a merciful and faithful high priest? What does being a priest have to do with helping us? Because of our sin, we are separated from God. Jesus took on a human body to break the power of sin. He became our substitute, a sacrifice to God on our behalf. He experienced the suffering and death that we as sinners deserve. Jesus Christ was unique in that he alone, of all who ever lived, was both God and man. The New Testament teaches the fully unified deity and humanity of Christ. The Nicene Creed states the uniform belief of all orthodox Christianity that Christ was fully God and fully man in one person. All heresies regarding Christ deny one or both of these propositions. This as a claim alone makes him unique above all other religious leaders or persons who have ever lived. Have you ever heard the word propitiation? Based on these verses, what does it mean? Propitiation means to make amends in a relationship where someone has become offended or angry. In this case, it speaks of how we have made God angry by our sin (Rom. 1:18). God s anger stems from His love for us. He wants us to be in a right relationship with Him, and our sins separate us from Him. It was not that Jesus death satisfied the angry demands of a peevish God. God Himself provided the payment for our sins because of His ever-abiding love. Geisler, N. L. (1999). In Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics (p. 135). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. 5 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
> Have a volunteer read John 14:1-7. Have you ever been lost? How did it feel not to know the way out? How did it feel to have someone show you the way out and lead you to safety? What does Jesus mean in referring to Himself as the Way? Truth? Life? How would these truths have encouraged His disciples at that moment? How are they a source of encouragement for you? The Scriptures are very clear that there is only one way to get to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ, God s Son. There is no provision for getting to the Father by behaving well or doing good deeds. Jesus is the only way to get to heaven, and our belief in that is what makes Him so controversial in our culture. Jesus asserted that if anyone knew Him and saw Him, that person had known God and seen God. What evidence do we have that Jesus words are true? The disciples were called to believe Jesus as well as to believe in Him. The grounds of belief are two-fold: first is Jesus declaration, and second is the evidence of Jesus power. There is a call to recognize the miracles as signs pointing to Jesus deity. Believers have ample reason to be confident in Christ because His words reveal God s truth and His works reveal God s power. Since this passage is so clear, why do you think some people still believe they can get to heaven by acting good or doing good deeds? 6 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 Based on today s study, how would you respond to someone who believes Jesus is a great teacher but not truly God? How would you lovingly explain to a person of another faith that Jesus is the only way to an eternal relationship with God? 2 Is there anywhere else other than Jesus you are looking in order to know God s Truth? 3 What is one way you can fix your eyes on Jesus alone as the fullness of God s truth? 4 The start of a new year is always a good time to reevaluate life and priorities. Knowing Jesus is the most important thing you can focus on in this new year. What is one new habit you need to incorporate into your daily life that will help you know Jesus more? How can our group hold you accountable and help you in that effort? P R A Y As you close in prayer, thank God for coming down to our level in the person of Jesus Christ. Confess that Jesus is God, and ask Him to help you worship Him in the manner He deserves. 7 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: Have you been more aware of people s perceptions of Jesus this week? How? How has your attitude toward Jesus changed after digging more deeply into who He is and what He has done? > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize John 14:6. 8 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
COMMENTARY JANUARY 18, 2015 JOHN 14:1-7 14:1. Troubled people need peace and affirmation. The problems of the disciples were as real as our problems. In fact, it is probably fair to say that most Christians are realists. From Scripture they recognize the reality of sin, the reality of evil in the world, the reality of deliverance from sin, and the reality of ultimate eternal life. Notes These disciples, good Jews, had already trusted in God and now Jesus asked them to trust in him. They had watched him feed five thousand people and bring Lazarus back from the dead, but now they must trust him not just for food or miracles, but with their lives. 14:2. Let us acknowledge at the beginning of this chapter that this portion of Scripture is not about huge buildings in heaven but about space. Lots of songs have been written to proclaim mansions over the hilltop, but Jesus simply told his disciples, There s room in heaven for you. But he also wanted to indicate that he would go ahead of them to do specific work the preparation of heaven (14:2b). The New Testament teaches us we are pilgrims and wanderers in this world. We may own homes, and some of them may be huge and beautiful. But we do not belong here because we are not primarily citizens of this world. In heaven we will be where we really belong because Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us. The promise I will come back (v. 3) has been variously understood by interpreters. But in the context of death, ascension, and heaven, it seems difficult to arrive at any conclusion other than the second coming of Jesus. 14:3-4. Forget the mansions; what this passage talks about is the personal touch of the Savior. Count the times he says I or me in these two short verses, and you will come up with five. He wanted the disciples to trust him personally. It was not just preparation of a place in focus here, but the personal return of Jesus to take his own to heaven. This passage does not speak about levels of reward or big buildings in heaven. It promises the 9 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church
COMMENTARY JANUARY 18, 2015 second coming of Jesus Christ. Did they really know the way? They should have known; it has been obvious in this book since chapter 3. The setting of these verses centers on promise and peace. Jesus would take care of his disciples by making sure they could be with him in the Father s presence. By this point in his ministry, they were expected to know the way to the place where I am going. Notes: 14:5-7. Thomas was an honest follower though always the skeptic, so he was the first to ask, Lord, we don t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Jesus response is the key verse of the passage, memorized by Christians all around the globe. Jesus is the way reconciliation; Jesus is the truth illumination; Jesus is the life regeneration. This is the exclusive gospel. The New Testament knows nothing of universalism the idea that God will find some way to save everybody. What could be clearer than Jesus words in verse 6, No one comes to the Father except through me. Why did the disciples need all this talk about trusting Jesus? Why do we need it? Because like them, we do not know Jesus well enough; so we struggle to understand the Father. Repeatedly Jesus emphasized the link between the heavenly Father and the Son, but right up to the end the disciples did not get it and we struggle with the concept as well. This is one of those places at which we would like to have audio aids for the Bible. What was Thomas s tone of voice when he said this? Is he still the skeptic? The pessimist? The negative thinker? It would appear so, but we admire his openness and vulnerability. The impact of Jesus answer echoes through the centuries to the present hour. He embodies the way to God, the truth about God, and the life in God. And if the disciples really knew him as they should, they would understand the inseparability between the Father and the Son. This announcement in John 14:6 prepares the way for the author of Hebrews to write, We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body (Heb. 10:19-20). 10 Who, Not What Brentwood Baptist Church