SOULJournal

John 21

SCRIPTURE
19Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

OBSERVATION
Following Jesus is not a event but a lifelong journey.

UNDERSTANDING
Three years earlier on the shores of the same lake Jesus had called Peter to follow Him and Peter had responded.  That decision was not a one time event but it was a continuous decision to keep on following.  Jesus' call to Peter to follow me in this passage is a reminder to Peter to not go back to the old ways but to have a lifetime of following.  Now Peter could follow Jesus even more profoundly than the first time he decided to follow.  Three years of discipling from the Master had given him a better understanding of what following Jesus meant.  Stripped of his pride, false expectations of leadership and tempered by experience, Peter was ready to follow Jesus in a deeper way because he had a deeper understanding of following.

LIFE APPLICATION
We too must daily choose to follow Jesus.  To follow Him means consistent discipleship and constant pursuit of Christ.  We must keep on following and each day as we are stripped of our pride and false expectations, we are able to truly follow Jesus more.  Keep on following and don't give up!

 

John 20

SCRIPTURE
 ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 

OBSERVATION 
Christ can make his presence known behind closed doors, but he will not unlock them for us. Unless we step out of our hiding places, we will never see all that Christ can do through us.

UNDERSTANDING
The disciples were still perplexed and apparently had gotten together that night behind bolted doors. They probably were discussing the women’s reported sighting of angels, what Peter and John saw at the tomb, and Mary’s astounding claim that she had seen Jesus. At some point during the day, Jesus had appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34 ), and the women had reported the angel’s words that the disciples were to go to Galilee and meet Jesus there (Matthew 28:7 ). But for some reason, they did not go; instead they stayed in Jerusalem, hiding from the Jewish leaders. Before long, however, their confusion would be dispelled.

The first news arrived in the night with the sounds of excited knocking on the door. Two disciples were allowed in, breathlessly telling the rest of the group that they had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus and had talked with him most of the day (Luke 24:13-35 ). The variety of reports must have had an effect. Shock and disbelief began to be replaced with wild hope. Luke recounts that this was when Jesus made his first appearance to his gathered disciples (although we find out later that Thomas was missing from the group). This appearance is astounding because Jesus came and stood among them, somehow appearing to them in a locked room. Jesus could do this because his resurrection and subsequent glorification had altered his bodily form. In this new spiritual form, he was able to transcend all physical barriers.

LIFE APPLICAATION
Though the Resurrection had occurred, the disciples were hiding out! The happy news had not driven their doubts away. But we are like them when we lock ourselves behind closed doors:

Doors of isolation—If we never make friends with non-Christians or interact with the world, we deny God’s power to change lives. Hiding in church, or refusing to make contact with anyone suspected to be a nonbeliever, limits Christ’s work. The truth does not have to hide or isolate itself.

Doors of anonymity—If we relate to those around us but never tell them that we are Christians, we deprive them of discovering what God has done in our lives.

Doors of superficiality—If we only talk of sports and weather and keep to safe subjects with people around us, we cooperate with the world’s intention to ignore God and any subject that might lead someone to seriously consider God’s perspective.

 

THE LIFE APPLICATION BIBLE COMMENTARY

John 19

SCRIPTURE ²⁸ Jesus knew that he had now finished his work. And in order to make the Scriptures come true, he said, “I am thirsty!”

OBSERVATION
Jesus was never a victim.

UNDERSTANDING
So as we read the account of Jesus' betrayal, fake trial, beatings and crucifixtion the question that comes up is who was responsible for Jesus' death?  Was it the Pharisees and religous leaders who had been plotting to kill Jesus?  Was it the High Priest who incited the people?  Was it the people of Israel who rejected Jesus as Messiah?  Was it the Romans, or Pilate who was responsible?  All these people were blamed at one time or another because they chose to play a part in the death of Jesus, but the reality is that God was responsible for Jesus' death.  It was the decision of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who decided that Jesus was to be punished for the sins of the world.  Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53 that "It was the Lord's will to crush Him..."  Jesus was never a victim.  He made it known that no one had the power to take His life but that He laid it down willingly.  The Jews, the Romans, the High Priests, Pilate, they were all bit players in God's grand design.  Even as he was dying on the cross, Jesus had a firm grip on what was His mission and what He was choosing to do (as opposed to what was being done to Him).  On the cross He prayed for forgiveness, made sure His mother was taken care of and what scriptures still needed to be fulfilled.  Jesus was never a victim, He chose to submit Himself to the Father's plan.

LIFE APPLICATION
We need to live the same way, not as victims but as people who have submitted ourselves to the Father's plan.  When we submit to God's plan we choose to take what comes with it, the good, the bad and the redemptive - we are not victims here.  We begin to see that God is always at work in us and through us and everything that happens can and will be redemptive.  No victims here!

John 17

SCRIPTURE 
⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

OBSERVATION
Jesus brought glory to the Father by completing the work that the Father had given Him to do.

UNDERSTANDING
What was the work that Jesus was given?  The simple answer is that He came to reveal the Father to people and to complete the work of salvation so that through it all men would be saved from an eternity separated from God.  

LIFE APPLICATION
As Christ-followers we can continue to bring glory to God, as Jesus did, by completing the work He has given us to do.  We are to go and make disciples of all nations.  We are to care for those who are needy.  We are to love others in such a way that it brings glory to God.  

Just as Jesus brought glory to the Father let us do the same.

 

John 16

 ¹ “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. ² They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. ³ They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. ⁴ I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

[The MacArthur New Testament Commentary]
The followers of Jesus Christ have always faced the world’s hostility. From the inception of the church, the apostles and those closely associated with them endured intense persecution. They were ridiculed, scorned, denounced, hunted, arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. Many even paid the ultimate price, giving their lives as martyrs for the sake of their Savior. A brief survey of ancient Christian tradition reveals that Peter, Andrew, and James the son of Alphaeus were all crucified; Bartholomew was whipped to death and then crucified; James the son of Zebedee was beheaded, as was Paul; Thomas was stabbed with spears; Mark was dragged to death through the streets of Alexandria; and James the half brother of Jesus was stoned by order of the Sanhedrin. Philip was also stoned to death. Others, including Matthew, Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus, Timothy, and Stephen, were also killed for their unwavering commitment to the Lord.

In the generations that followed, persecution continued. Under the Roman emperors of the first three centuries, thousands of faithful believers were arrested, tortured, and killed. One notable example is that of Polycarp, the aged bishop of Smyrna. Around a.d. 160, he was arrested for being a Christian, and then tied to a stake and burned. When asked to deny Christ, Polycarp stood firm. “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury,” he replied resolutely. “How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” (Concerning the Martyrdom of the Holy Polycarp, 9).

The persecution of the true church again reached a fever pitch during the Protestant Reformation. Appalled by the moral and doctrinal corruption of the Roman Catholic Church and emboldened by the clear teachings of Scripture, the Reformers denounced the Catholic system of indulgences and the false gospel of works righteousness. The response from Rome was vitriolic and violent. According to Protestant historian John Dowling, the Roman Catholic Church put to death more than fifty million “heretics” between a.d. 606 (the birth of the papacy) and the mid-1800s.

Godly leaders like John Huss (c. 1369–1415), Hugh Latimer (c. 1485–1555), William Tyndale (1495–1536), Patrick Hamilton (1504– 1528), and George Wishart (1513–1546) were among those martyred for the faith. When the chain was put around John Huss, securing him to the stake where he would be burned, he said with a smile, “My Lord Jesus Christ was bound with a harder chain than this for my sake, and why then should I be ashamed of this rusty one?” When asked to recant, Huss declined, saying, “What I taught with my lips I now seal with my blood” (John Fox, Fox’s Book of Martyrs [Philadelphia: J. J. Woodward, 1830], 634). He died singing a hymn as the flames engulfed his body.

In many places around the world today, believers continue to face intense persecution. Muslim controlled countries are especially hostile toward Christianity (currently especially in the Middle East and Africa), though other nations such as Communist states also remain antagonistic. While exact numbers are difficult to reconstruct, historians estimate the number of Christian martyrs in the last century to be in the tens of millions. A 1997 article in the New York Times reported that “more Christians have died this century simply for being Christians than in the first nineteen centuries after the birth of Christ” (A. M. Rosenthal, “Persecuting the Christians,” New York Times, February 11, 1997, citing information from Nina Shea, In the Lion’s Den [Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1997]). In addition, an incalculable number of faithful believers have been arrested, beaten, or otherwise persecuted short of death—all on account of their loyalty to Jesus Christ. 

So where did we get the idea that when we serve Jesus life would be all about comfortable living?

John 15

Barriers to Fruitfulness

Barrier: Lack of proper nourishment
Explanation: Poor supply of water or nutrients will destroy the vine.
Implication: If Christ’s life and love do not flow in us, we will be spiritually unproductive.

Barrier: Disease
Explanation: Insects and disease move from dead wood into healthy plants.
Implication: Ongoing sin and unresolved past issues will lead to spiritual ineffectiveness.

Barrier: Immature branches
Explanation: New branches require several years of pruning before they can produce.
Implication: We need time to grow. Growth may involve suffering.

Barrier: Improper pruning
Explanation: A wise gardener knows what to remove in order to bring about fruitfulness.
Implication: Our priorities and the focus of our energies must be guided by Christ and his Word, not our own wisdom and desires.

Barrier: No gardener
Explanation: Vines need constant attention.
Implication: Resistance to God’s guidance and pruning leads to unfruitfulness.

Barrier: Separated from the Vine
Explanation: Branches must be attached to a healthy root stock.
Implication: We must not think for a moment that we are capable of surviving apart from Jesus Christ. He is the giver and sustainer of life!

 

Life Application Bible Commentary

 

John 14

SCRIPTURE
but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

OBSERVATION
Jesus teaches us the principle of love and obedience.

UNDERSTANDING
As He talks with the disciples Jesus constantly tells them that love is a verb.      15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.   He calls on His disciples to show their love for Him by  being obedient to His teaching and commands.  But Jesus does not say one thing and do something different - He epitomizes this attitude in His own life in being obedient to the Father.  He professes to love the Father and that love shows itself in Him doing exactly what the Father had commanded Him to do. 

LIFE APPLICATION
As  Christ-followers we are to do the same.  Obedience to His commands comes after love.  Obedience is generated from a heart of love.  If we truly love God then we are to follow His commands.  If we follow His commands and do not love Him then it is empty, hollow and meaningless.  So do we love God so we are obedient to His commands or do we jump through hoops of obedience with no love in our hearts for Him?

John 13

SCRIPTURE 
³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

OBSERVATION
Jesus knew who He was and what His destiny would be and it was the basis for His actions.

UNDERSTANDING
Jesus knew His destiny, He had a bigger perspective.  He knew that He was going to suffer and be raised from the dead.  He knew that He would be glorified and ascend back into heaven.  That knowledge gave Him the ability to face the moment and not falter.  That knowledge gave Him the ability to follow through with confidence on what He had to do even when there was opposition from His disciples.  The knowledge of who He was allowed Him to serve willingly.

LIFE APPLICATION
We who are in Christ have the same knowledge.  We know who we are and our ultimate destiny.  We are children of God, heirs with Jesus.  We have been set free from sin and we will live in eternity with God.  This knowledge should be what drives our decisions and action here and now.  We serve not for the approval of men but because of who we are, imitators of Christ.  We live with an eternal perspective.  Let us not forget that as children of God we must serve one another.  Let us live our lives fulfilling the calling and purpose of God regardless the opposition that we face because we know in the end it will be worth it all.

 

John 12

Somewhere along the way we have come to believe that being a Christ-follower is all about getting everything you want from God, whose purpose is to make us happy.  But the life of Jesus tells us a different story.

 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

In serving the Father Jesus lived sacrificially - He gave His life.  He understood that the best results come from laying down His life.  One seed dying produces many more seeds.  In the same way we are called to lay down our lives, not necessarily physically, as Jesus did, (although some have had to do so) but it is more the understanding of dying to our desires and agendas in order to take up God's agenda.  Only when we do this do we experience the Father's purpose for us as well as a harvest. 

So the question is, "How do we give up our lives for the sake of God's plans and purposes?"
It is as we decide to seek God's agenda for our lives instead of our own.
It is when we decide to trust His plans and purposes for us even when they seem to lead to a dead-end.  I don't think that there are dead-ends when we are following God, only runways...the road ends but it just means that we take flight. 
We must constantly spend time listening and responding to the voice of God through His Word and the Holy Spirit. 
It is constantly battling the selfish wants of the flesh and be willing to respond to the direction of the Holy Spirit.  The list goes on. 

How are you?  Are you dying to live?

John 11

SCRIPTURE  
⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 

OBSERVATION
The presence of pain and suffering in the lives of Christ-followers can teach us that Christians do not have different experiences in life, rather, they experience life differently.

UNDERSTANDING AND APPLICATION
Any trial we face can ultimately bring glory to God because God can bring good out of any bad situation. When trouble comes, do you grumble, complain, and blame God? Or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor him? 

Read through the next few verses and take time to reflect on what they have to say about how we experience life differently...

Romans 5:3–5 (NIV) 
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Rejoice in our suffering because God is at work in us. 

Hebrews 12:4–11 (NIV) 
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
      “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God loves us!

James 1:2 –James 1:4 (NIV) 
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Trials make us well-rounded disciples.

So what is your expectation as a Christ-follower?  Did you think that serving God meant that we would never experience hardships? Or do you now have a different (and eternal) perspective regarding the hardships we experience?