The Study of John

CHAPTER 1

Date given August 8, 2005

Date due August 21, 2005

Pray asking the Lord to open your mind and heart to receive His Word. Empty your mind of anything that could hinder hearing his voice. Thank Him for His Word.

Commit 30 minutes per day to studying the passages.

Commit time to think on what is God saying to you about this passage today.

Then record what you believe He is saying.

Week 1: Read John 1:1-18

Who is the Word?

The Word is God. The Word is the title for Christ (gr. Logos) Jesus is God’s revelation to mankind. He is fully God and fully human. He is divine.

What is the Word’ relationship to God?

Jesus Christ is God revealed to man. So we don’t need proof that God exists for we have that proof through the SON. Jesus is God in the flesh. God’s Spirit overshadowed Mary so that she could bring God’s SON into our world. Jesus is God the SON.

Who was in the beginning?

God the Father, God the SON and God the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son had perfect fellowship.

We too can have perfect fellowship with one another, the secret to it is this: “If any man follows Jesus, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Jesus.” Luke 9:23

When you think of God creating you how do you feel about yourself?

I am overcome with gratitude. I can’t comprehend how our Lord permitted me to participate as a fellow human to live here and know God has a plan for my life. I know life isn’t easy and this journey is a short one. I use to think my journey on earth was forever but as I get older my mind sees different. I am here for a short time and my life with our Lord is forever. I am thankful.

List all creation that God made?

Universe and all in it. Stars, moon, sun, planets, animals, trees, sea creatures, pets, all humanity. I can look out my window in am or evening and see God’s creation: whether it’s a little humming bird zipping around, children screaming, or dogs barking. All around me God had His hand in creating them.

By whom do we have life? I have life in Jesus Christ. God created man but I am an offspring from God’s first human. What is your idea of life?

Living for Jesus. I want so much for my life to reflect Jesus. When people look at me I pray they will see Jesus.

Do you fully understand the life and what it brings to you?

This life I now live is guided by my Savior. He has set a path for me to follow. Through Him I will live forever and I can know for sure I will reside with Him in heaven.

When light shines in darkness think on this: what happens?

Darkness represents evil and things unspeakable done through the devil. But when light shines through darkness it is exposed for what it is and it flees.

Being I lived in darkness for many years, I felt very alone and lost. There was such a void in my heart and mind. When Jesus opened my heart and came in, my whole person was enlightened. I no longer felt alone or lost. My heart was filled and my mind changed from hopelessness to hope in God my Savior.

How did this light reveal salvation to us?

The Light in Jesus Christ revealed the lostness in our soul. When I was in darkness I could not comprehend the light until Jesus called me by name.

What is our response as we bask in God’s light?

Resting in my Lord, Jesus is near me all the time, sweet peace, warmeth, feel loved, and I take it all in.

Who is the one who came to testify of Light coming into the world?

He was a man sent from God. His name was John the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah.

What is his name and his purpose?

John the Baptist who came for a witness to testify of the Light (Jesus) that all men through Him might believe. John bear witness of Jesus the Christ being God’s SON.

In John 1 verse 12 we have a privilege given to us by God, what is it?

We have the privilege to receive Him and empowerment to become sons of God. (Even if we believe on the very name Jesus.)

John tells us Jesus existed before him, how would you explain that to a new Christian?

Jesus was in heaven before He came down to earth to us. John was created by God to tell us about Jesus. John may have been born 6 months before Jesus but Jesus was with God before John was created.

Has anyone ever seen God? How can we see His likeness?

No even though in the OT God passed by the cleft of the rock, even though we are told his back was seen, we are told no man sees God and lives. We can see God’s likeness through His SON Jesus. We are told He that hath seen the SON has seen the Father.

Read John 1:19-34

When John gave testimony about Jesus the Light, who was there to question who he was?

The Jews and Priests which were the Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin is both a Jewish judicial and administrative body.  The Sanhedrin was composed of local elites--including members of the high-priestly family, scribes (religious experts), and lay elders.  It probably operated under some sort of Roman oversight, at least with respect to its taxing, law enforcement, and other administrative functions

The Sanhedrin consisted of 71 judges. God thus commanded Moses, "Gather to Me 70 men of the elders of Israel ... and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, so that they should stand there with you" (Numbers 11:16 ). This was the first Sanhedrin. Counting Moses himself, it consisted of 71 members.

What was John’s response?

I am not the Christ. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.

Now when you are questioned about who you are, do you share your faith and what God has done in your life or do you tell what you have done?

I do my very best to share Jesus and what He has done in my life. “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” This is the promise I love for it is God working in me.

What was John doing in Bethany ?

Baptizing

What does baptism signify to you?

It reveals what God has done in me already. It is standing up and sharing with the world that I have accepted Jesus into my life. It is taking a stand and saying I have been born again and received His fullness. It tells the world that Jesus washed away all my sins.

Verse 29-34 gives testimony of The Lamb of God… What is God saying to you as you read this passage?

This precious Lamb of God was confirmed by His Father and John witnessed this as the Spirit descended and remained on Jesus to show us He baptizes with the Holy Spirit. I think back when in the OT that the priest would sacrifice the perfect lamb and its blood would be sprinkled on the altar and when God looked down the blood covered symbolically the sins of Israel . As I read this I see Jesus the innocent lamb and His blood covers my sin. So when God looks down He sees forgiven.

Do you understand that when you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you were baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit for all eternity? How do you explain this to your children?

Absolutely. Nothing is able to break that seal for I am safely in the hands or palms of Jesus. No man can pluck me. I would say: when Jesus comes into your heart He is with you forever. No matter where you go you take Him with you. I put my hand next to my heart and say: see here Jesus sits right here in your heart and lives there forever.

Read John 1:35-42

Who are John’s 2 disciples or followers?

Andrew and John. John never drew attention to himself as he wrote this gospel.

Do you have someone you are mentoring in your walk with Jesus?

Yes my SS class.

When we receive Christ we have a brand new name and nature, Can you find a scripture that explains what has happened to you inside?

“If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63

“Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” John 15:3

I can’t help but think of the song, Born Again.

Read John 1:43-51

Jesus called Philip and Philip found Nathanael, what was Nathanael’s response to Philip’s sharing Jesus with him?

“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth ?

Philip responded in faith: “come and see.”

What did Nathanael mean?

Nazareth was not well known in OT or NT times. It was an isolated village and known only to be the home town of Mary and Joseph and where Jesus spent his first 30 years. I guess it looks like the town I live in an old refinery town.

How did Jesus show Nathanael He knew him? What was Nathanael’ response?

Jesus told him before Philip witnessed to him Jesus knew him under the fig tree. In other words Jesus knew his needy heart.

Nathanael said to Jesus: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

What did it take for you to believe Jesus?

I needed to hear the gospel and understand God loved me just where I was at. I feel like a Nathanael character. God knew me but I didn’t know myself until He revealed His love to me.

It takes faith to believe and for us who receive Christ we see great things everyday in our lives… Today as you close this study, what has God revealed to you about His Son the Lamb of God? That my Lord the Lamb of God covers me for all eternity. That He came so that I could be made free from destruction of my soul. The Lamb loves me and will be with be forever.

Look up these words in the next 2 weeks:

Grace: unmerited favor, something I don’t deserve

Blessings: outpouring of God’s mercy; gift from God

Light: God’s glory revealing and exposing darkness. Illumines truth to us. Revealer of darkness.

Word: God through Jesus Christ.

Darkness: no light exists in darkness. Lacks understanding. Lost. Evil. Spiritual depravity. Morally corrupt.

Fullness: Complete; Grace and truth manifested in Christ Jesus.

Testify: Speak forth about faith and what Jesus has done. To bear witness.

Rabbi: Master; A title of respect; Teacher

Teacher: speaks forth what is true. Instructs in truth.

Messiah: Anointed One; Jesus the Christ; one promised from Gen. 3:15

Believe: To place confidence in; to be persuaded of; agree; assured; obey; trust; yield; accept as truth. Receive as truth. Acknowledge as truth.

As you think about your life and what God has done, write a short testimony of what life was like in darkness and then write a short testimony on how God shines through you today?

In my early years I felt so unloved and alone. Even though my life was full of activity there still was that awful void in my heart. I remember as a young girl waiting in the summer nights for God to come through the clouds. I do not understand that at all since I was not raised in a Christian home but God knew me like I was under the fig tree. One day in a revival God showed me His grace and how that void and wanting to see Him could be. The next day Jesus turned my void into a place filled with mercy and grace. Through the years God has showed me His light and this very day I praise Him for I can’t help but want to grow deep in my Lord.

Close in prayer and ask God to shine in your life today so that others will see Jesus in you. Thank God for creating you just the way you are. Thank him for your salvation.

When time permits skim over the first chapter of Genesis. See how special you are in God’s eyes.

John Bible Study(SHC)

Week 1 written by mammy Lancaster(copyrighted July 30, 2005 )