Memory Verse:
“Most 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.”
(John 5:24)
Deliverance, grace, forgiveness, attention are four
lessons to be gleaned from Chapter 5. This is a good time to define the word “gospel.”
Gospel literally means “good news” and is the message of Christianity.
In the Greek, gospel is euangellion as a noun, or euangellista
as a verb. It is recognized in English as “evangelism.” Eu
means “good,” and angel means “message”
(yes, an angel was a “messenger” from God.)
The word “gospel” is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke
but not found in John. Yet it is on every page. So what is so good about the
gospel and what is its message? First it is a deliverance from our sins
and its punishment. Secondly, that
deliverance is given to us by God’s grace or free gift. Third, the gospel not
only offers us forgiveness, but brings us the ability and responsibility to
forgive others. Finally the gospel is a message worthy of our attention, found
in the words of God, spoken by Jesus and found throughout the Bible. It is interpreted
and explained to us by His Holy Spirit.
Day 9: Morning
Deliverance: Do You Want To Be Made Well?
(Read John 5:1–9)
John 5 begins with “After this, there was a feast of the Jews…”
We are not told which feast this was, but it was likely Pentecost, which came seven
weeks after Passover. That would make sense, as this miracle occurred on the
Sabbath or the seventh day. Whichever feast it was, some time had passed since
Jesus had left Jerusalem.
When Jesus encounters the
lame man, He asked him a strange question: “Do you want to be made well?” He knew
the answer but Jesus asked questions like these to make the hearers (and us
today) to think. The man wanted to be made well but needed to express it.
Do a “find and replace” exercise in today’s story:
Find Replace
with
Great multitude ..................................... All
of mankind
Sick people............................................ Sinful
humanity
Blind, lame, etc...................................... Sin
An angel stirring the water..................... False promises of
salvation
The man with the infirmity...................... Those needing Christ
Efforts to reach the pool......................... Man’s efforts to earn our
salvation
The man was helpless to heal himself, putting his faith in his
own efforts in a false belief. For 38 years, this attempt failed again and
again. Like the lame man, we are helpless to save ourselves. Putting faith in our
efforts is just as useless as the man trying to get to the water.
After his healing, suppose the
man had said, “Wow. I can wiggle my toes. I have feelings in my legs. I believe
I can walk. But I am going to stay right here and keep trying to make it into
the pool.” His healing would just as meaningless as our salvation and not
walking in it.
The takeaway from today is
“if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll only get what you’ve always
got.” Put your faith in Christ.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Lord, I do
want to be healed. Help me to stand with You spiritually and for what You stand
for, just in the same way the lame man was able to stand physically. In Jesus’s
name. Amen.”
Day 9: Evening
Grace: What Would the Father Do?
(Read John 5:9–24)
May I confess a sin to you? I
know this is wrong but it relates to today’s story. When I drive to church and
see people out running or doing the lawn, I judge them. I should pray for them
that they would get into a Bible-believing church, but I often don’t even worry
for their souls. I wrongfully judge them for not going to church.
Today’s story is about religious
leaders who saw a lame man walking and did not glorify God. Those leaders were spiritually paralyzed. They kept the Sabbath
but got angry that Jesus violated the religious laws.
Obedience to God, like
salvation, is by grace. Heb. 10:19–35 speaks about the relationship between the
assurance of our salvation by God’s grace and obedience to God is also by grace.
Bethesda, where the man was
healed, means “House of Grace.” God’s grace not only saves us, it also helps us
to walk in freedom from sin. Jesus told the man to “take up his bed and walk” and
to walk in sin no more. If God has grace, we too should have grace on others.
John 5:21 is the first of
seven comparisons of Jesus to God the Father. Jesus said “as the Father…so do
I.” They are:
1) “As the
Father raises the dead” (John 5:21)
2) “As the Father has life in Himself”
(John 5:26)
3) “As the Father knows Me”
(John 10:15)
4) “As the Father has told Me”
(John 12:50)
5) “As the Father commanded Me”
(John 14:31)
6) “As the Father loved Me”
(John 15:9)
7) “As the Father sent Me”
(John 20:21)
I want people to go to church. But to be angry with
people or to judge them who may not even be saved is wrong. Instead, I should tell
them how to become a child of God. After all, isn’t that what the Father would
do?
Pray this
prayer to God: “I glorify
You, Father, for liberating me by Your grace from my sin. Help me to live for
You and testify of You, no matter the cost. Like the lame man, help me to sin
no more. Amen.”
Day 10: Morning
Forgiveness: Past, Present and Future
(Read John 5: 24)
Read verse 24 out loud. “Most
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.”
This verse shows me that Jesus
has forgiven all the sins of my past, present and future. Match the questions
with the appropriate verb tenses.
___1. “Has everlasting life” A.
Past
___2. “Shall not come into judgment” B. Future
___3. “Has passed from death to life” C. Present
Does this verse say a believer “has passed from death
into life” (past tense) or “will someday in the future pass from death into
life” (future)?
Does this say a believer “has everlasting life”
(present tense) or “will someday have everlasting life” (future)?
Does this say a believer “shall not come into
judgment” or “a believer probably won’t come into judgment as long as he
doesn’t sin again”?
These past, present and future tenses affirm the
assurances of our eternal life. When people are asked if they have eternal
life, they may “think so,” or “hope so,” or think “maybe so.” God wants us to “know
so.” Jesus said “most assuredly” (“I’m
telling you the truth” –Good News Bible).
Another way to look at it is “We were saved”
(Justification); “We are being saved” (Sanctification) and “We shall be saved”
(Glorification).
Justified. We have
passed from death to life. Someone has said being justified is like being “just
as if I’d never sinned.”
Sanctified. Believers
become more and more holy or “set apart”.
Glorified. There will
be a day when we stand before God but we “shall not come into judgment.”
Instead, we will forever be separated from sin.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Jesus, Thank
You for following the Father’s example. Help me follow Yours. Remind me every day
that there is nothing that can separate me from Your love and the love of the
heavenly Father. Amen.”
Day 10: Evening
Listen To Jesus
(Read John 5:24–30)
Read again verse 24 from this
morning’s reading. You may ask, “How can I already pass from death into life? I
have never died.” Did you know that before we became Christians, we were “spiritually
dead.” Genesis 2:17 says that when Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they died
spiritually. God is the source of all life (John 5:26) and our sins separate us
from God. We are spiritually dead until we are brought to life through faith in
Christ.
The phrase in verse 25 “the time
is coming and has now come” means that spiritually dead people, even though
they are physically alive, were hearing the voice of the Son of God and now
coming alive.
The phrase in verse 28 “Do
not marvel” can be loosely paraphrased as “and that ain’t all.” Not only did Jesus
give life to the spiritually dead, He also states that ALL in the graves will
hear His voice. If they have “done good” (or believe in Jesus, see verse 24),
they will have everlasting life. If they “have done evil” (or ever did anything
bad—ever!) they will be condemned. John 6:29 says that believing in Christ is
“the work of God.” On Judgment Day, all will hear the Christ’s voice. Every
knee will bow and every tongue will confess He is Lord, but for some, it will
be too late.
The worst sin of all is to
reject God’s gift of eternity. Rev. 20:12 speaks of two resurrections: John
wrote, “Blessed and holy is he who has
part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them.”
(Rev. 20:6). But, “anyone not found
written in the Book of Life” are judged by their works and every one of
those will be “cast into the lake of
fire” (Rev. 3:15).
Have you heard the voice of
Jesus calling? Listen to Him. Later in chapter 10:27, Jesus will say “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me” (see also 10:3, 8, 16). Listen for Jesus today and
follow Him.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Thank You,
Heavenly Father, for giving me a firm assurance that Jesus is Who He said He
is. Thank You for assuring me of my eternal life. Help me to listen to His
voice every day. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.”
Day 11: Morning
Testimonies Of Jesus!
(Read John 5:31–47)
In today’s reading, Jesus gave
five testimonies which gave witness that Christ was the Son of God (see 5:31–32, 33–35, 36, 37–38, and 39). On Day 2 (evening),
John wrote about two other witnesses. If Jesus, John the Baptist, the miracles,
the Father, the Scriptures, the disciples (John 12:17; 15:27; 19:35; and 21:24)
and the Holy Spirit (John 15:26) are all witnesses, there is room for one more
witness: YOU.
Despite all of these witnesses,
the real reason the religious leaders did not believe in Christ was because
they didn’t have the love of God in their hearts (5:42). Sometimes we think that
if we say all the right words or have the best arguments that there will be
some method and everyone would believe. However, salvation is not a matter of
evidence or Scriptural arguments. It is not solely a matter of facts but simply
a matter of faith.
Christianity requires faith but
it is based on facts and not outrageous fables or outright fiction. There are
things in the Bible that would be impossible if there was not a supernatural
God.
People believe or “receive” things
which requiring faith but they may or may not be true (John 5:43–44). Think of
some things which require faith, both the real and the ridiculous. As people of
faith, Christians must trust in God, Jesus Christ and the Bible, which is the
only reliable testimony for us to know about God.
Some people say they believe
in the New Testament but not the Old Testament. However, Jesus said in John 5:47,
if you do not believe in the writings of Moses, the first five books of the
Bible, how can you say that you believe in the words of Jesus? The Father and the Son are One (John 5:30) and
both Testaments are reliable witnesses of Christ.
St. Augustine said, “The New
Testament is veiled in the Old and
the Old Testament is unveiled in the
New.” Take God and His witnesses at their word.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Dear God,
I stand and join in the testimonies that Jesus is the Son of God. I testify to Your
love in my heart. I give a witness that I believe You and that Your Word, the
Bible, is true. Amen.”
Day 11: Evening
Jesus’s “I AM” Statements, Signs and Significances
(Read John 6:35,41,48,51)
John knew that others, such as Matthew, Mark and Luke,
had written gospels about Jesus. John reflected on Christ’s life, recording the
most significant events and teachings, including the seven “I AM” statements.
Earlier we read about the Seven "Intransitive" I AM Statements (just before Day 7, Introduction to Chapter 4). Today, we will read about the seven "Transitive" I AM Statements. These "I AM" phrases do have a direct object. The seven statements are:
Earlier we read about the Seven "Intransitive" I AM Statements (just before Day 7, Introduction to Chapter 4). Today, we will read about the seven "Transitive" I AM Statements. These "I AM" phrases do have a direct object. The seven statements are:
In Exodus chapter 3, Moses asked God, “When they ask me ‘What is the name of the
God who sent you?’ what shall I say?” God told Moses to say, “I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the
children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” In the Greek version of the
Old Testament, Exodus 3:14 was translated with the phrase ego eimi or I AM WHO I AM.
The connection between the seven I AM statements and
the seven signs given in John are sometimes clearly linked and other times not
so obvious. The link between “I AM the Bread of Life” and the sign of the feeding
of the 5,000 is obvious. When Jesus said, “I AM the Light of the World” and healed
a blind man is also clearly linked. The connection between raising Lazarus and
“I AM the Resurrection and the Life” is indisputable.
The healing of the nobleman’s son’s led his entire
family to faith and is linked to “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John
14:6) which is surrounded by encouragements to believe. The first miracle of
turning the water into wine occurred at a wedding. It is linked to the final “I
AM” statement: I AM the True Vine (John 15:1,5) which calls us to bear fruit.
The paralyzed man was healed by the Sheep’s Gate (John
5:2) and is connected to the statement of “I AM the door of the sheep.” Jesus
is God’s door to the “house of grace,” the translation of Bethesda. “I AM the
Shepherd” is almost the exact phrase of Psalm 23, “The Lord (I AM) is my
Shepherd.” His protection is paralleled to His walking on the stormy sea, calming
the waves and dispelling the disciples’ fears.
Jesus is the Great I AM in human form. His words need
to be heard and heeded. His salvation must be believed and received.
Pray this
prayer to God: “Thank You,
Father and Son, for being the Great I AM, the God who is Right Now. Thank You
for being the God of the living. In the Name of the Great I AM I pray. Amen.”
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