What We’re Studying

4/25/2020

Bible Study John 21: 15-25

John 21: 15-25
I. The Open Arms of Jesus

1. This is the third time Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples at the Miraculous Catch of Fish in the Gospel of John. He now turns His attention to Peter to reinstate Peter. Peter had denied Jesus 3X and he thought he had gone past the point of no return.

2. Illustration: A pilot of an airplane must calculate if his plane has enough fuel to fly over a body of water like an ocean. There is the point of no return at a certain distance across the ocean that he passes that he knows he cannot return, it is called “the Point of No Return.” Peter may have thought he passed this point of no return in his relationship with Jesus…yet we see the Lord welcomes Peter with open arms of love. Have you ever thought you might have passed the point of no return with God? I have good news God always welcomes us back with the same open arms of love!

3. The Way back to God is through the Blood of Jesus!

4. Peter jumps into the water to make it to the shore to see Jesus because he had a need – forgiveness. We also need the Lord’s forgiveness and when we fail Him we need to return to Him as soon as possible! Peter jumped at the occasion…so should we!

5. Jesus asks Peter three questions for the three times that Peter denied Jesus:
*First question in the Greek language “Peter, do you ‘agape’ Me more than these?
The Four loves in the Greek Language:
a) Agape (Self-giving love – like God’s love for us that asks for nothing in return)
b) Phileo (Brotherly love for friendship)
c) Storge (Love of family…Love of parents for children and vice versa)
d) Eros (Love between a husband and wife – sexual love)

*Peter answers, “Yes Lord I Phileo You”
1. Jesus responds “Feed my lambs” which means disciple new believers.
2. Jesus asks again and centers in on Peter himself and asks him, “Peter do you truly agape Me?” Again Jesus tries to see if Peter is willing to give up all to follow Jesus.
3. Peter answers again and says, “Yes Lord You know that I phileo You.”
4. Jesus answers, “Take care of my sheep.” Which means minister to the new and older believers in Christ.
5. Jesus asks the third time, “Peter are you even My friend, do you Phileo Me?”
6. Peter responds… as he is troubled, “Yes Lord You know all things, You know that I Phileo You.”
7. Jesus responds, “Feed my sheep.” Which means lead in the Church, Peter! Which Peter did at the day of Pentecost!

8. Application: Jesus meets us at our level of understanding…and accepts us…Praise God! Then Jesus desires to take us higher!

9. Application: God is training us all throughout our lives…so He can Glorify His Name in our lives, follower of Jesus! You can’t make warriors out of babies…they have to grow up first…God is patient with us! Be patient with others when they fail you!
VV.18-25
1. Jesus then speaks of Peter’s Martyrdom…Since John is the last Gospel written. Peter could have been martyred by this time and VV.18-25 could be an Epilogue.
2. “Stretch out your hand” is a reference term for crucifixion. Tradition tells us Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he was not worthy to die as Jesus did. Peter went from shame to martyr – God can only do this as we submit our lives to Him!
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer who wrote the book “The Cost of Discipleship”…who himself became a martyr for Christ once wrote, “Jesus first and last words to Peter recorded in Scripture were “Follow Me,” a life of discipleship lies between these two calls.”
4. Application: Our God is in the “fix it” business with His creation…we look at a broken life as beyond repair and He says, “Watch what I can Redeem…”
*Illustration: My wife doesn’t like to throw many things away… God sees us like my wife sees things….He does not see us as throwaways, He can fix us in Christ and He delight to do so! Want you join Him in the restoration business of people by sharing the Good news of Jesus with a lost and broken World?
*John concludes the Gospel of John with giving us the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God and the choice is now up to you to decide for or against Christ in your life! V.25 Tells us that the world itself could not contain the books of Jesus’ miracles because they are still going on today… He is still changing lives by His miraculous power! The greatest miracle of all is changing the human heart and still giving us the freedom of will! For instance, God speaks to the Red Sea and it parts… because it has no choice but to obey. God speaks to us to follow Jesus and mankind still has a choice to follow/obey or not. The greatest miracle is when we say “yes” to Jesus and God changes our hearts to become Jesus’ disciples! John’s Gospel tells us how to be “Born from above” through God the Son, by receiving Jesus we are given the power to become the children of God (John 1:12) “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” That is all because of the resurrection of Jesus from the Dead is the greatest miracle in the Bible! Because of His Resurrection, Salvation now comes down to us… for all who will receive Jesus by saving faith and repentance!

 

4/13/2020
4/John 21: 1-12 Online Bible Study
After the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we see here in Chapter 21 Jesus coming back to call His disciples to carry out Christ’s Commission to take the Gospel to all the World!
Please read John 21:1-12
I. When in Doubt Follow the Master’s Directions –
* What was the last thing Jesus told you to do?
1) VV. 1-11 They fished all night and caught nothing….This was their profession. The fish are just not there in their thinking…but we don’t know the truth until we check it with the Master (Jesus).
2) They were confused about their next step to take…V.3 Peter said “I go a fishing” the others followed him.
3) Application: We often go back to the familiar…when we don’t know the next step to take.
4) Jesus finds us…we don’t find Jesus. The Savior comes to them, but they do not recognize Him. Jesus gives them the command to cast the net on the right side of the boat V.6 and they obey and the net is full of fishes… 153 in all and the net is not broken.
5) Application: We find success when we do things God’s way.
6) Illustration: A church that I pastured had an outreach to reach a Hispanic community near our church. We began a canvas of the area and passed out information to invite them to our Church and they stayed away by the hundreds…it was a total failure…and I began to ask myself “What did we do wrong? I guess these people don’t love Jesus…I guess.” After our son Ben was playing soccer with many of their children at the parks…The Lord gave us our answer…the barrier was not Jesus…it was Language. God moved us to have an ESL (English as a Second Language) Class with the community at a neutral site and they came and we got to share the Gospel with them and many of their children came to our church and were baptized. *Success happens when we fish God’s under the Master’s directions!!! The disciples learned this in the miraculous catch of fish!
*Question: Does God want to do anything with my community? What is He calling me to do in being “A fisher of Men?”
7) John was the first to recognize Jesus and Peter was the first to jump into the sea…Why??? Peter wanted to make things right after denying Him 3 times.
8) *Note: They wore two coats while fishing: An inner coat to jump in and out of the water and an outer coat to keep them warm in the boat.
9) They pull the net to shore and 153 fish were counted – at this time Greek biologist recognized 153 different kinds of fish, we now know that there are thousands of different kinds of fish. Therefore this is John’s point of the Great Commission that the Gospel compels us to reach all nations of peoples and leave none unreached. The Gospel is for more than the Jews, it is for all peoples. That should be our focus…reaching all people for Christ!
*Yet the net was not broken…the Church is enriched by growth, not broken. “But if those people come to our church, it will not be the same….” I once heard a church member say to me.
*Illustration: A Church that I pastured began to grow and some new people came to join us in our fellowship. You would think that everyone would be glad…not so! I had some people come to me and say, “If you let people like that in our Church…they will change it and wreck it.” We had a Hispanic ministry and we had over 30 kids come to our Wednesday night services each Wednesday. One of the deacons accused me of starting a boy’s club….” Yes… I thought praise God… “let’s reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ!” The point in telling this story is that: “The net was not broken…” The Church grew and was revived!
Teaching Point: I never knew of a Church to go under by reaching people for Jesus. Can you think of any?
*Another Great Reversal – Fish are taken from life to death, people fished for the Kingdom of God are taken from spiritual death to eternal life in Christ!
II. Follow the Master to the Place of Provision!
V.12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
1. You can trust God to provide! Jehovah Jireh “Our Provider!” You cannot outgive God! God has got it friend in Christ…Trust Him!
2. Notice: Sign # 8 Jesus Resurrection.
Sign #9 The Miraculous Catch of Fish – John’s Great Commission.
Question: How has God provided for you? Think of some ways. How can you share your blessings with your community?
*Illustration: At a community college I attended, I had to take a three hour Biology class. The three hour course was in reality was a 6 hour course because it was Biology with lab. It had a 3 hour lab that you had to fulfill outside the 3 hour lecture time. I remember my lab partner was a girl who refused to dissect the frogs and cats, so I had to do it all of the work in the lab practicum. I passed the class, I am not sure if my lab partner did or not.
I learned a lot in that class because I had to put my learning into practice in the lab practicum.
Application: Churches are big on the “lecture time” through Sermons and Bible Studies, but I am not sure how well we are doing in the “lab time.” What if the second hour of our worship was going into the community and witnessing to those who are not worshipping in Church on the Lord’s Day? I think we could see our communities becoming more transformed if we were ministering to them more in the Name of Christ. See this formula below.
Lecture = Information and encouragement.
Lab = Information + participation = Transformation.
Illustration: Bud Grant former coach of the Minnesota Vikings asked what he sees on every Sunday when his football team goes to face their opponent. He said…. “I see 40 men who need to rest and 40,000 fans who need to exercise.” Christianity was never meant to be a spectator sport.
Why should Church be 20 % of the people who do all the work and 80% who get to watch and judge how the 20 % did it?
Illustration: Francis Chan, a noted speaker and author, stepped down from his mega church in California. He did this because he felt the Lord speaking to him one Sunday morning saying to Chan “They are here for you not for Me.” He now meets with a church near San Francisco where they meet for an hour of Worship and Bible study (Lecture) and then go out into the community to lead in apartment complexes in his community Bible Studies and doing Evangelism by witnessing to the lost in their community (Lab). After they finish this they come back to report on what God is doing in their community.
*I wonder if we could do the same in our communities?John 21: 1-12 Online Bible Study
After the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we see here in Chapter 21 Jesus coming back to call His disciples to carry out Christ’s Commission to take the Gospel to all the World!
Please read John 21:1-12
I. When in Doubt Follow the Master’s Directions –
* What was the last thing Jesus told you to do?
1) VV. 1-11 They fished all night and caught nothing….This was their profession. The fish are just not there in their thinking…but we don’t know the truth until we check it with the Master (Jesus).
2) They were confused about their next step to take…V.3 Peter said “I go a fishing” the others followed him.
3) Application: We often go back to the familiar…when we don’t know the next step to take.
4) Jesus finds us…we don’t find Jesus. The Savior comes to them, but they do not recognize Him. Jesus gives them the command to cast the net on the right side of the boat V.6 and they obey and the net is full of fishes… 153 in all and the net is not broken.
5) Application: We find success when we do things God’s way.
6) Illustration: A church that I pastured had an outreach to reach a Hispanic community near our church. We began a canvas of the area and passed out information to invite them to our Church and they stayed away by the hundreds…it was a total failure…and I began to ask myself “What did we do wrong? I guess these people don’t love Jesus…I guess.” After our son Ben was playing soccer with many of their children at the parks…The Lord gave us our answer…the barrier was not Jesus…it was Language. God moved us to have an ESL (English as a Second Language) Class with the community at a neutral site and they came and we got to share the Gospel with them and many of their children came to our church and were baptized. *Success happens when we fish God’s under the Master’s directions!!! The disciples learned this in the miraculous catch of fish!
*Question: Does God want to do anything with my community? What is He calling me to do in being “A fisher of Men?”
7) John was the first to recognize Jesus and Peter was the first to jump into the sea…Why??? Peter wanted to make things right after denying Him 3 times.
8) *Note: They wore two coats while fishing: An inner coat to jump in and out of the water and an outer coat to keep them warm in the boat.
9) They pull the net to shore and 153 fish were counted – at this time Greek biologist recognized 153 different kinds of fish, we now know that there are thousands of different kinds of fish. Therefore this is John’s point of the Great Commission that the Gospel compels us to reach all nations of peoples and leave none unreached. The Gospel is for more than the Jews, it is for all peoples. That should be our focus…reaching all people for Christ!
*Yet the net was not broken…the Church is enriched by growth, not broken. “But if those people come to our church, it will not be the same….” I once heard a church member say to me.
*Illustration: A Church that I pastured began to grow and some new people came to join us in our fellowship. You would think that everyone would be glad…not so! I had some people come to me and say, “If you let people like that in our Church…they will change it and wreck it.” We had a Hispanic ministry and we had over 30 kids come to our Wednesday night services each Wednesday. One of the deacons accused me of starting a boy’s club….” Yes… I thought praise God… “let’s reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ!” The point in telling this story is that: “The net was not broken…” The Church grew and was revived!
Teaching Point: I never knew of a Church to go under by reaching people for Jesus. Can you think of any?
*Another Great Reversal – Fish are taken from life to death, people fished for the Kingdom of God are taken from spiritual death to eternal life in Christ!
II. Follow the Master to the Place of Provision!
V.12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
1. You can trust God to provide! Jehovah Jireh “Our Provider!” You cannot outgive God! God has got it friend in Christ…Trust Him!
2. Notice: Sign # 8 Jesus Resurrection.
Sign #9 The Miraculous Catch of Fish – John’s Great Commission.
Question: How has God provided for you? Think of some ways. How can you share your blessings with your community?
*Illustration: At a community college I attended, I had to take a three hour Biology class. The three hour course was in reality was a 6 hour course because it was Biology with lab. It had a 3 hour lab that you had to fulfill outside the 3 hour lecture time. I remember my lab partner was a girl who refused to dissect the frogs and cats, so I had to do it all of the work in the lab practicum. I passed the class, I am not sure if my lab partner did or not.
I learned a lot in that class because I had to put my learning into practice in the lab practicum.
Application: Churches are big on the “lecture time” through Sermons and Bible Studies, but I am not sure how well we are doing in the “lab time.” What if the second hour of our worship was going into the community and witnessing to those who are not worshipping in Church on the Lord’s Day? I think we could see our communities becoming more transformed if we were ministering to them more in the Name of Christ. See this formula below.
Lecture = Information and encouragement.
Lab = Information + participation = Transformation.
Illustration: Bud Grant former coach of the Minnesota Vikings asked what he sees on every Sunday when his football team goes to face their opponent. He said…. “I see 40 men who need to rest and 40,000 fans who need to exercise.” Christianity was never meant to be a spectator sport.
Why should Church be 20 % of the people who do all the work and 80% who get to watch and judge how the 20 % did it?
Illustration: Francis Chan, a noted speaker and author, stepped down from his mega church in California. He did this because he felt the Lord speaking to him one Sunday morning saying to Chan “They are here for you not for Me.” He now meets with a church near San Francisco where they meet for an hour of Worship and Bible study (Lecture) and then go out into the community to lead in apartment complexes in his community Bible Studies and doing Evangelism by witnessing to the lost in their community (Lab). After they finish this they come back to report on what God is doing in their community.
*I wonder if we could do the same in our communities?

Easter Bible Study April 12, 2020
John 20
V.1 The First day of the week – Sunday – the stone was rolled away from the Sepulcher. The Jews counted days from sunset to morning.
1) Jesus died on Friday at 3 PM in the afternoon (Good Friday) to morning Day 1. Saturday (the day without a name) was from sunset to morning Day 2. Jesus arose on Sunday morning Day 3.
2) Jesus took the keys of Hell and Death from Satan in this time and arose victorious on Sunday morning!
*Jesus Arose! It is a Fact! What about those who try to explain away this fact of Jesus’ Resurrection. Let’s look at some of their false theories:
1. The Swoon Theory (also called the Resuscitation Theory)
The Swoon Theory, first proposed in 1828 by H. E. G. Paulus, a German theologian and critic of the Bible. His claims were that Jesus did not really die. Rather, suggested Paulus, Jesus merely fainted on the cross from pain, shock, and loss of blood. Jesus was then mistakenly buried alive and recovered from His wounds.
*This resurrection theory is ludicrous. We can cross it off the list of possibility. *Chapter 19:34 Jesus died on the Cross, the Roman soldier verified this as the soldier thrust in his spear into the side of Christ and blood and water flowed out of Him.
2. The Hallucination Theory
The Hallucination Theory asserts that the many people who saw Jesus in His resurrected body just imagined doing so. It’s important to note that hallucinations come from within a person, not outside a person. Meaning hallucinations are entirely subjective. Science tells us that, generally, only particular kinds of people have hallucinations: persons who are paranoid or schizophrenic, or people under the influence of drugs.
1. The New Testament tells us, however, that all kinds of people saw Jesus after His resurrection. All different ages, different occupations, different backgrounds, and different viewpoints saw Christ after His Burial alive again!
2. Cross this resurrection theory off the list of possibility, because hallucinations do not come from a group setting of people.
3. The Conspiracy Theory
The fact that the Bible tells us that lots of people saw Jesus, over a 40-day period, helps us to dispel this final theory. The Conspiracy Theory suggests that Christ’s disciples simply stole His body and fabricated the resurrection story.
1. People will die for what they believe. They do not, however, die for what they know is a lie. The apostles of Christ were willing to die for their faith in the resurrected Jesus and many did become martyrs!
2. Cross this resurrection theory off the list of possibility as well. The Roman soldiers were guarding the tomb of Jesus and would be executed if they allowed Jesus’ body to be stolen from the Tomb.
*Jesus Appears to His Disciples
*Mary Magdalene of whom Jesus cast out seven devils was the first to see Him after His Resurrection. “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.” John 20:16
*To whom much who has been forgiven…loves the Lord much!
*V.19 Jesus appeared to them that first Sunday evening:
1) He said “Peace be unto you.” They were stressed about being crucified by the Romans and being delivered to them by the Jews.
2) Jesus Bodily Resurrection – He showed them His hands and side! He was no ghost as the heretics falsely taught.
3) He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Ghost V.22.
*The same breath of God that He gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden for their creation. Now Jesus gives the Church His Breath of Life (the Holy Spirit) and gives them the Great Commission to reach all nations with the Gospel.
*Illustration: A Woodpecker thought to himself “I need to find some worms in that tree…” So he flies over to the tree and on his first peck of the tree… a lightning bolt hits the tree simultaneously and the tree splits in half. The woodpecker falls to the ground and as he looks up at the tree that has been split in half and his beak is still smoking he replies…. “I never knew I had it in me.”
*Application: With God in us…Christians can do the impossible… because it is God doing the impossible through us as He works making the impossible possible! We can reach the lost with the Gospel of Christ because it is God Who does the work of Salvation through the message of Jesus!

 

On Sunday Mornings
Join us as we look at what the Bible has to say and how we can apply this to our lives today!

On Sunday Nights
Join us as we study an overview of the books of the Bible.

On Wednesday Nights
Join us as we look at the Book of Luke. Feel free to come with questions and discuss.