My favorite Devotional book of all time: 52 weeks of selected readings from heroes of faith in history focusing on six major areas of spiritual formation.
My favorite Keyword Study Bible:
ESV - Hebrew Greek Keyword Study Bible
One of my favorite word study resources:
Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary
My favorite church history books:
Church History - Everett Ferguson - Vol 1
Church History - Everett Ferguson - Vol 2
“What’s in the box?”
(Ginny Richards, Readers Digest 9/08 p. 86)
https://www.rd.com/jokes/family/page/2/
-
Clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with a the voice of
triumph! – Psalm 47:1
-
Great is the Lord, and most worth of
praise, in the city of God, his holy mountain – Psalm 48:1
- The mighty one, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth, from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets! - Psalm 50:1!
Psalm
49:10-14 tells us:
“… all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings. <Selah> Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions.”
· Ps.
89:48 “What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of
the grave?”
· Job
talks to God and says: “I know you will bring me down to death, to the place
appointed for all the living.” Job 30:23
· Ecclesiastes warns us - “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Ecclesiastes 9:10
Ecclesiastes 7:2 says “Better to go to the house of
mourning (the place of death) than to go to the house of feasting, For that is
the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.” (NKJV)
Alfred Nobel - https://www.history.com/news/did-a-premature-obituary-inspire-the-nobel-prize
“Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.”
Genesis 2:16-17 “the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
“… sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” Romans 5:12
The
Aeneid, Book
8, starting on line 485: - (Written about 25 years before Jesus’
birth)…
The
living and the dead at his command
Were coupled, face to face, and hand to hand,
Till, chok’d with stench, in loath’d embraces tied,
The ling’ring wretches pin’d away and died.
https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/library/article/id/1794/this-body-death.htm
https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Verg.+A.+8.470&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0052
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, …… BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ps 49:15 says it this way: “God will redeem my life
from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”
“The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in
deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all
commended for their faith, YET NONE OF THEM RECEIVED what had been promised.
God had planned something better for us so that ONLY together with us would
they be made perfect.” Hebrews 11:38-40
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” Philippians 1:21-23
Class #1 Intro - LOGOS
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts."
In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were
made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was
made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the
life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a
man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as
a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe
through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about
the light.
9 The true
light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the
world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him,
yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,[b] and his
own people[c] did
not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of
the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his
glory, glory as of the only Son[d] from
the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness
about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after
me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his
fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.[e] 17 For the
law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,[f] who
is at the Father's side,[g] he
has made him known.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=ESV>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2e9mMf7E8
Eusebius Hist. Eccl. 2.23.1-4; 4.14.3-8; 5.8.4 (313 AD - Began
Writing HE)
https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250104.htm
In chapter 1, John uses 7 different names
describing Jesus that have special importance to us today.
#1 Word (1:1-3,14).
“Logos” translated “Word” communicated to the
Jews God’s divine work and dynamic power. To the Greeks, it embodied
philosophical reason. As Christians, we acknowledge Jesus as the incarnate
Word. The Eternal Word. The creative Word. The Divine Word.
The “Word became flesh.” Divinity took on
humanity. God became a man. Jesus is the express image of God. The main message
of the Bible. And He’s the Father’s spokesman today.
#2 Light (1:4-9).
Seven times John calls Jesus “The Light.” Jesus
entered a world of moral darkness and depravity to enlighten it with Divine
light. We don’t have to dwell in darkness. Jesus is the radiance of God’s
glory. He points us to the Father. And lights our path.
When I see Jesus, as the Light of the world, I
see the Light of understanding and insight. Light that sustains my spiritual
life. Light that radiates its purifying impact on my sin-stained soul. Light
that nurtures and heals my hurts. And Light that gives security.
#3 Son of God. (1:18, 34, 49).
An unbelieving world denies the Sonship of
Jesus. He’s called a great Rabbi. An inspiring teacher. A moral reformer. A
social justice advocate. But that won’t do.
John says Jesus was the Son of God. John the
Immerser confesses this Truth. And Nathaniel listened to the advice of Philip
to “come and see” and exclaimed, “You are the Son of God.”
Jesus was not just a mere man. He was (and is)
the Son of God.
#4 Christ (1:19-28, 35-42).
“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew word
Messiah. It literally means “the anointed one.” In John 1:41 the two English
words are used together when Andrew brought Peter to Jesus and said, “We have
found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
Christ connects Jesus to the fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecy. To the hope of Israel. To our own hope. And provides
indisputable evidence to Jesus’ divine identity.
#5 Lamb of God (1:29, 35-36).
“Where is the lamb?” Isaac asked Abraham.
John’s pronouncement answers that question. Every slain lamb in the Old
Testament offered for sacrifice points to the one, unique and unequaled Lamb of
God. He died, not just for the sins of one nation, but for all nations. For
every race. For me. And for you.
#6 King of Israel (1:43-49).
When Nathaniel said, “You are the King of
Israel,” he probably was thinking of an earthly king like David. But Jesus
would be a greater King. A King over spiritual Israel whose throne would be in
heaven. A King that Paul would later proclaim as “the blessed and only
Potentate. The Lord of Lords, and the King of Kings!”(1 Tim. 6:15).
#7 Son of Man (1:50-51).
This is the name Jesus most often called
Himself. Over 80 times in the gospels. The expression “Son of Man” speaks to
His human nature. Jesus was tired. Hungry. Thirsty. He suffered pain. Agony.
And hurt. These are characteristics of the flesh. Traits of humanity.
Jesus voluntarily came to earth to feel what we
feel. To identify with our problems. Challenges. And temptations. He possessed
a human mind. Human emotions. Human feelings. His genealogy was filled with
regular folks. Good and bad. Rich and poor. Famous and obscure.
Emerson was right when he wrote, “The name of
Jesus is not so much written as plowed in the history of the world.”
From <https://thepreachersword.com/2020/10/27/7-names-for-jesus-in-john-1/>
The Chosen - Healing of the Man at the Pool of Bethesda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMj1ggINLe4
Textual Criticism -
John 5:4 Controversy - https://www.logos.com/grow/took-john-54-bible/
Aggelos - https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g32/kjv/tr/0-1/
John Chronology
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts."
On the third day there was a wedding
at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus
also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When
the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My
hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do
whatever he tells you.”
6 Now
there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of
purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus
said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled
them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw
some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When
the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know
where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the
master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him,
“Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then
the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This,
the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his
glory. And his disciples believed in him.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%202&version=ESV>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-2e9mMf7E8
Matt 9:15 - Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding
guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will
be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Matt 11:17 "A wedding song we played for
you, the dance you all did scorn. A woeful dirge we chanted, too, but then you
would not mourn.'
Matt 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
Matt 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call
them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Matt 22:4 Again, he sent out other slaves, and
said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and
fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the
wedding banquet.’
Matt 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The
wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Matt 22:9 So go into the roads leading out of
town and invite as many people as you can find to the wedding.'
Matt 22:10 So those servants went out into the
highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:
and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Matt 22:11 And when the king came in to see the
guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Matt 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how
camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Matt 25:10 “When they had gone to buy some, the
groom arrived. Then those who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet, and the door was shut.
Mrk 2:19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests
cannot fast while the groom is with them, can they? As long as they have the
groom with them, they cannot fast.
Luk 5:34 Jesus said to them, “You can’t make the
wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you?
Luk 7:32 They're like little children who sit in
the marketplace and shout to each other, "A wedding song we played for
you, the dance you all did scorn. A woeful dirge we chanted, too, but then you
would not mourn.'
Luk 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that
wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh
and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
Luk 14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a
wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou
be bidden of him;
John 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place in
Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and
John 2:2 Jesus and His disciples were invited to
the wedding as well.
Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him
glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has
made herself ready.
Rev 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write
the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding
celebration of the Lamb!" He also said to me, "These are the true
words of God."
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Wedding
#2 -This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and
manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. - John 2:11
Here are 3 important lessons we can take away
from this miraculous event at Cana:
1. Take Your Requests to Jesus but Humbly Accept
His Answer
The wine supply ran out during the festivities,
so Jesus’s mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus
replied. “My time has not yet come.” John 2:3-4
2. Cultivate a Humble and Obedient Heart
But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he
tells you.” John 2:5
3. Remember that in God’s Hands, the Ordinary
Becomes Extraordinary
When the master of ceremonies tasted the water
that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the
servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. “A host always serves the best
wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings
out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” John 2:9-10