Sparrow12Seven

Q2. (John 1:26-27) Why did John baptize? What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized? Why did John baptize? John baptized people after they had confessed their sins and had repented. (Matthew 3:1-5) What is the meaning of the baptism he was performing? It seems it was a public expression of a person’s confession of sin and his/her repentance. What do you think baptism represents to those John baptized? Since they were baptized after hearing John preach to them about preparing the way for the LORD, these people were taking John’s message personally, preparing their way (hearts) by confessing their sin and repenting of it. Now they would go forward looking for their Messiah. I believe John’s ministry sensitized their hearts and led them back to their Father’s heart, making them more ready to receive the LORD Jesus.

Q1. (John 1:19-23) Why do you think John the Baptist was being hassled by the religious leaders from Jerusalem? What were they afraid of? How did John understand his own mission? How much conflict do you think could be expected from John's mission? I. I Believe John the Baptist was being hassled by religious leaders because he was teaching outside of Jerusalem (not under the direction of the religious leaders there), and many people were coming to him to hear him preach and to be baptized. He was becoming famous so the leaders decided they had to find out who he was. I think they were jealous of John the Baptist, too. II. I think they were afraid that God was making a move without them, he wasn't afraid to point out sin, and that the people would begin following him instead of them. III. John clearly understood his own mission to be to prepare the hearts of God’s people to receive their Messiah, and to point Him out to them. Further ahead in his Gospel, John quotes John the Baptist, John 1:30-34 “30This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’ 31I didn’t know Him, but I came baptizing with water so He might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John testified, “I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him.cb 33I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on — He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God! ” IV. I believe John would have expected nothing less than what his ultimate fate turned out to be. I believe he knew how dangerous the Jewish leaders could be when they were threatened. Although it was Herod and not the High Priest that imprisoned and beheaded him, I think he knew they would not be receptive to his message and ministry, especially as he knew he must call out the Pharisees and Sadducees as vipers and demand their repentance from relying on birth and traditions of men to save them rather than obedience to God.

Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? I don’t think we can ever with our finite, mortal minds fully understand the Trinity. It is wonderful to ponder, though, and it is beautiful to know that we will be learning and growing in our knowledge and understanding and therefore our awe and reverence of our LORD and Savior from now throughout eternity!!! The things that are clear from the Apostle John’s writing, though, are that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are divine; God is One in essence, and yet separate: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Eternal. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? I believe that John does make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son, while he also refers to Jesus as God. Throughout John’s Gospel, the LORD Jesus prays to the Father God. (John 11:41, 12:28, 17:1,) He also speaks of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God. “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father--He will testify about Me.” (John 15:26) Jesus also teaches His disciples that the Father God is in Him (John 14:10, 11 & 20). And in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, He prays and asks the Father that we believers would join the Father God and the LORD Jesus Christ, becoming one with each other as we become one with the Son Who Is one with the Father. (John 17:21-23) What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Though we cannot understand all about the Trinity right now in this earthly life, we can trust what our LORD Jesus, Who Is the Truth, has taught us by His words, His actions, and His prayers. We can follow Him, Who Is the Way, and His teaching on it (by praying to the Father and welcoming His Holy Spirit), and we can choose to experience an ever-closer relationship with our Father God through our LORD Jesus Christ (Who Is the Life) by His Holy Spirit - beginning at our Salvation, and continuing and becoming sweeter and sweeter as He Sanctifies us in this earthly life until that time we are Glorified and living with Him in Heaven! Thank You, Father God, for this precious, precious gift of Life in Your Son, the LORD Jesus Christ through Your Holy Spirit! Amen and Amen. I'd like to share a testimony about this question because I believe our Father orchestrated it, helping make connections so I can understand better and draw closer to our LORD (as Pastor Ralph prayed for us at the beginning of this lesson!), and maybe it will do the same for you! Last night while pondering this topic, it was beautifully addressed (if implicitly and indirectly) by Pastor Joe Fleener at Rolleston Baptist Church in New Zealand. The message was entitled "To Whom Do We Pray?" Here is a link in case you are interested https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rsyWK92_a4iq4TJIeG-eLt75jm9sAkVB/view

Q4. (John 1:14) Why is the idea of God "becoming flesh" so important to the basis of the Christian faith? What would Christ's life, crucifixion, and resurrection mean if he were only pretending to "become flesh"? In what ways have you personally experienced his grace? In what ways has his truth changed your life from what it was? I. Why is the idea of God "becoming flesh" so important to the basis of the Christian faith? “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Mankind must have a Savior - a Perfect Sacrifice - to take away our sins and to make a Way for us to come to the Father. Jesus Christ, God’s One and Only Son, is that Perfect Sacrifice - “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29b) He did this because He loves us that much. “God is love” (I John 4:8) and His action of self-sacrifice to save the world (to everyone who would receive and believe in Jesus) is the pinnacle of the expression of love. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” -Jesus Christ, John 15:13 II. What would Christ’s life, crucifixion, and resurrection mean if he were only pretending to “become flesh”? It would all be a sham, a put-on, fake, and meaningless, and mankind would still be separated from God because of our sin. III. In what ways have you personally experienced his grace? He completed His perfect sacrifice for my sin by His grace. He gave me the faith I needed to receive Him by His grace. I have received His gift of salvation by His grace, and in His grace, He sanctifies me every day. Every good and perfect gift is from Him. Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and instruction are all from Him! He has given us all things we need for life and godliness by His grace! IV. In what ways has His truth changed your life from what it was? His truth saved me as a child. My life has taken twists and turns, but He has been patient with me, and He has never left me nor forsaken me; He never gave up on me. He is teaching me how to trust Him more and more as I read His Word and seek Him. He is teaching me that His truth sanctifies me, and this wonderful salvation is past, present, and future. His truth nourishes me every day, and He is teaching me that I can actually have a living, loving relationship with Him; that He wants to know me, and that He wants me to seek Him and follow Him. His truth transforms me as I read His Word and by His grace apply it to my life. He is gentle and He teaches me. He is teaching me by experience that He is the Living Word and He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that His truth is eternal. He has taught me to trust Him in the pain of the loss of loved ones, in a personal diagnosis of c—-- (I don’t even spell that word!), in accidents, in life changes, and in just growing, and because He was with me through all of my life - in the good and the bad and the ugly, the things that came unexpectedly, things I hoped for, the things I dreaded, through it all, He taught me that nothing takes Him by surprise, He is the lifter of my head, He is for me, and He cares for me, and looking back, I can see how He even prepared me for some of the unexpected events life in life, though I didn’t know it at the time. Because of all of this, I know that He is Faithful and True, that He is the Word Made Flesh, that His Word is Truth, and I have Love, and Joy and Hope and Peace for today and tomorrow

I just had to post again on this question because, in my own daily Bible Reading, our Father orchestrated something beautiful and led me to this message, amazingly dovetailed to our John 1:12-13 portion of the Gospel of John in our JesusWalk Bible Study! This particular message is from E. Johnson, a theologian living in the 19th century, and is taken from Proverbs 2:1-9. I don't believe in coincidences! I believe our Father is filling my cup to overflowing! Thank You, Father! And thank you, Pastor Ralph, for providing these thought-provoking, lesson gems! The Conditions of Religious Knowledge E. Johnson Proverbs 2:1-9 The previous chapter having shown us in a variety of representations the necessity and the worth of wisdom, the question is now dealt with - How shall it be sought and attained? I. CONDITIONS ON MAN'S SIDE. The enumeration is climactic, proceeding from the less strong to the stronger expressions. 1. Receptivity. The open mind and heart, ever ready to "adopt" true sentiments and appropriate them as one's own. The point is not to ask - Who says this? By what channel does it come to me? But - Is it sound? is it true? If so, it is for me, and shall be made my own. Truth is common property. 2. Attention, concentration, assimilation. "Keeping her commands with us." The thorough student finds it necessary to exercise his memory, and to help it by the use of notebooks, where he hides his knowledge. So must we hive and store, arrange and digest, our religious impressions, which otherwise "go in at one ear and out at the other." Short germ sayings may be thus kept in the memory; they will burst into fertility some day. 3. Active application. In figurative language "bending the ear" and "turning the heart" in the desired direction. The mind must not be passive in religion. It is no process of "cramming," but of personal, original, spiritual activity throughout. 4. Passionate craving and prayerfulness. "Calling Sense to one's side, and raising one's voice to Prudence" - to give another rendering to ver. 3. We must invoke the spirit of Wisdom for the needs of daily conduct; thus placing ourselves in living relation with what is our true nature. Fra Angelico prayed before his easel; Cromwell, in his tent on the eve of battle. So must the thinker in his study, the preacher in his pulpit, the merchant at his desk, if he would have the true clearness of vision and the only genuine success. True prayer is always for the universal, not the private, good. 5. Persevering and laborious exertion. illustrated by the miner's toil. The passage (Job 28.), of extraordinary picturesque power and interest, describing the miner's operations, may help us to appreciate the Illustration. The pursuit of what is ideal is still more arduous than that of the material, as silver and gold. It is often said that the perseverance of the unholy worker shames the sloth of the spiritual man. But let us not ignore the other side. The toil in the spiritual region is not obvious to the eye like the other, but is not the less really practised in silence by thousands of faithful souls. We should reflect on the immense travail of soul it has cost to produce the book which stirs us like a new force, though it may appear to flow with consummate ease from the pen. Such are the conditions of "understanding the fear of Jehovah," or, in modern language, of appropriating, making religion our own; "receiving the things of the Spirit of God," in the language of St. Paul (1 Corinthians 2:14). It is the highest human possession, because permanent, inalienable, and preservative amidst life's ills. II. CONDITIONS ON THE SIDE OF GOD. If religion be the union or identification of the soul with God, he must be related to us in such a way as makes this possible. 1. He is wisdom's Source and Giver. He not only contains in himself that knowledge which, reflected in us, becomes prudence, sense, wisdom, piety; he is an active Will and a self-communicating Spirit. The ancients had a glimpse of this when they said that the gods were not of so grudging or envious a nature as not to reveal their good to men. God is self-revealing; "freely gives of his things" to us, that we may know, and in knowing, possess them. 2. His wisdom is saving. "Sound wisdom" (ver. 7) may be better rendered soundness, or salvation, or health, or saving health. It seems to come from a root signifying the essential or actual. Nothing is essential but health for sensuous enjoyment; nothing but health, in the larger sense, for spiritual enjoyment. Let us think of God as himself absolute Health, and thus the Giver of all health and happiness to his creatures. 3. He is Protector of the faithful. The Hebrew imagination, informed by constant scenes of war, delights to represent him as the Buckler or Shield of his servants (Psalm 18:2; Psalm 33:20; Psalm 89:19). Those who "walk in innocence" seem to bear a charmed life. They "fear no evil," for he is with them. The vast sky is their tent roof. They may be slain, but cannot be hurt. To be snatched from this world is to be caught to his arms. 4. He is eternal Justice. Being this in himself, the "way of his saints," which is synonymous with human rectitude, cannot be indifferent to him. Right is the highest idea we can associate with God. It is exempt from the possible suspicion of weakness or misdirection which may cleave to the mere idea of goodness or kindness. It essentially includes might. Thus the soul finds shelter beneath this vast and majestic conception and faith of its God. These, then, are the conditions, Divine and human, of religion. That we may realize it in ourselves, "understand right, justice, and equity" - in a word, "every good way" of life and thought, uniting piety with morality - the conditions must be faithfully fulfilled. Perfect bodily health may not be attainable; some of its conditions lie without the sphere of freedom, and within that of necessary law. Spiritual health is attainable, for it lies within the sphere of freedom. Then God is realized; it is the ether of the soul, and the region of love and light and blessedness. J. copied from: https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/clarkson/the_course_the_goal_and_the_prize_of_wisdom.htm

Q3 (John 1:12-13) What does it mean to “receive” Jesus? What does it imply to “believe in” Jesus? What is the spiritual relationship to God of those who receive and believe in Jesus? Of those who do not? I. What does it mean to “receive” Jesus? To receive is to “take hold” of and to “grasp” something. It also means to “recognize the other’s authority.” We receive Jesus Christ as Savior - (His “work”) He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves and His work on earth is finished. II. What does it imply to “believe in” Jesus? The implication to believe in Jesus is twofold - intellectual assent AND “to trust oneself fully to Him,” and to “adhere to, trust in, and rely on” Him. And this is a personal decision and action. We believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and make Him our LORD - (our “work”) We are invited to do the “work” of God, which Jesus said is “to believe in the One He has sent.” (John 6:29) Part of our work is repentance. In order to “adhere to, trust in, and rely on” Him, we must quit adhering to, trusting in and relying on ourselves. This is an ongoing belief that requires action, change, trust, and results in transformation! III. What is the spiritual relationship to God of those who receive and believe in Jesus? The spiritual relationship to God of those who receive and believe in Jesus is that we have been given the “right” to be children of God! Jesus completed His part, we are now doing our part so we are now in this divine relationship with Him. Part of the beauty of relationship is that each person gives and each person receives. Jesus’ earthly work is finished, as He Himself said, but He now intercedes for us! Romans 8:34 “Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God— and He is interceding for us.” AND we have the Holy Spirit of God Himself working in us! At Salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 1:13) and Paul tells us that our Father God “works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12-16a) Now we are in a living relationship with the Living God of the Universe through His Precious Son’s Work and we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of God! How beautiful, wonderful, astounding, and almost incomprehensible it is to have the Holy Spirit of the Great Creator and King of the Universe living and working inside of us!!! Does this mean to “receive and believe” once, a long time ago? No! We are works in progress, but we are not alone! And this is “work” we can’t do alone, nor is He asking us to! We must see ourselves as we are without Him - “poor in spirit” - and we must depend on Him, trusting Him for growth in this new life - “praying without ceasing,” “giving thanks in all things,” “asking, seeking, knocking” - listening to and obeying His Word, keeping communication open, appreciating Him and honoring Him, turning to Him for guidance in all things - living in relationship with Him! Does this mean we will never succumb to our own will again? No, but now we have an advocate with the Father, the LORD Jesus Christ, and “when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) Then day by day, step by step, we trust Him to lead us, nourish us, and grow us, transforming us into His own image so we can bear much fruit for His Kingdom and for His Glory! So we receive Salvation as a gift from Him to us. We believe in Him with action, submitting to Him as LORD, the giving of ourselves to Him. Now we live in a Father/Child relationship with Him from now throughout eternity!!! IV. Of those who do not? They are His created children, and He loves them, but unless they receive the LORD Jesus Christ and believe in Him in repentance, becoming His spiritual children, they will spend eternity separated from Him. This most valuable gift in the Universe, the gift of Salvation, cost Him everything, and He offers it free for anyone who will receive it. What a Wonderful Savior, Deliverer, Redeemer, Master, Friend, and Father God we have! “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7) Thank you, Pastor Ralph, for praying for us in each of your sessions. I believe He is answering your prayer in my life because i am seeing things more clearly than ever before through your series of questions

Q2. (John 1:7-8) What did it mean that John was sent to "testify" to the light? In what sense are you put here with the purpose of "testifying" to the light? How are you doing in this regard? What happened to John the Baptist? What might happen to you if you testify clearly? What might happen to the people to whom you testify? Whoa, these questions are so piercing. I. What did it mean that John was sent to "testify" to the light? John's life was prophesied - he was the coming "Elijah" - sent to prepare the way of the LORD, calling his people back to God, and to point to the long-awaited Messiah. II. In what sense are you put here with the purpose of "testifying" to the light? Well, even though it's easy to get caught up in the trappings of this world and lose sight of it, the Apostle Paul tells us, "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life." (Eph.2:10) It is His will for all of us to be saved and to have a living, loving relationship with Him. (I Tim. 4:6 & II Pet. 3:9) So when we find Jesus and receive His gracious justification, and "as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling," we are then on the path of sanctification in which He is molding us and making us, actually "working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12-16a) This means that we are living in the light - through God's precious Holy Spirit - and we are under construction, but we can trust that He is actually working in us! This is the wondrous, awe inspiring truth! And He strengthens us so that we can bear witness to testify to this light - "Christ in you [us!] the hope of glory!" (Col. 1:27) - sharing Him in an honest, genuine, humble way through our thoughts, prayers, words, and actions. This is precious and amazing to me, that He doesn’t give up on me, but He is gentle and He is working in me!!! III. How are you doing in this regard? I’m still learning, of course, and have a long way to go, but I am so thankful for His kind leading and shepherding in my life and I am relying on Him to help me testify to His light in every facet of my life - even the seemingly “mundane” ones. To share our Father in this world in a more far-reaching way, I began a youtube channel in 2020 called “Living Word Aloud.” It is my goal to make the entire Bible available on audio, (also sharing quotes and sermons by different theologians throughout history “a great cloud of witnesses”) His light, free and accessible without restraints of time or place. I know it’s already available online, but I also know that each one of us has a unique group of people that might hear us when they won’t hear anyone else. That said, I still have such a long way to go to more and more effectively testify to the light of my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. IV. What happened to John the Baptist? He turned many toward our Father God and the Messiah, the LORD Jesus Christ. Because he obediently testified to the light of Jesus Christ, Andrew heard his testimony and followed Jesus, and told Peter they had found the Messiah. Ultimately John the Baptist was put to death because of his truthful testimony. V. What might happen to me if I testify clearly? Some will receive and some will reject the light of the LORD. In extreme circumstances, the same fate could conceivably happen to any believer. VI. What might happen to the people to whom you testify? As my LORD Jesus is formed in me, and as I am transformed, follow Him in obedience, and testify of His light in my life, I pray that the people to whom I testify would receive Him as their Savior and LORD as well.

Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? Thank you, Pastor Ralph, for asking these questions! They are encouraging me to dig deeper and to marvel with more wonder at the glory of our incomparable God! And I agree with you, it's best to write our answers as we take time to "think about and ponder the most important points." (I love the word "ponder!") I. Yes, according to the Apostle John, Jesus is fully God. It's wonderful to think about - and I believe we will be learning about it and praising God for all of what it means (along with the myriad other reasons for praising Him) for all of eternity! II. I'm trying (and having difficulty) answering the second part of this question "What does it mean that Jesus is the "Word"? so I am digging deeper by going to one of my favorite sources, www.biblehub.com. There I found the beautiful sermon on John I entitled "The Word in Eternity, in the World, and in the Flesh," by Reverend Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910). He called this "...the profoundest page in the New Testament." He breaks verse one down as he magnifies it (this is just a brief summary): Before time 1) the Word existed; the Word is a person 2) the Word had eternal communion with God 3) the community of essence and the communion of Love exists between the Word and God. Jesus, the Son of the Living God, stepped into time by the will of the Father, becoming "the Word made flesh" to reveal the "name" of the Father God to us (John 17:6 & 26). III. What does this say about Jesus and His ministry? A. Maclaren says it so profoundly: Jesus came "'full of grace and truth,' perfect Love bending to inferiors and sinners, with hands full of gifts and a heart full of tenderness and the revelation of reality, both as regards God and man. His grace bestows all that our lowness needs, His truth teaches all that our ignorance requires. All our gifts and all our knowledge come from the Incarnate Word, in whom believing we are the children of God.” The whole sermon is here if anyone is interested - https://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/maclaren/the_word_in_eternity_in_the_world_and_in_the_flesh.htm Praise God our Father and the Word, Jesus Christ! Amen

Hello to everyone! I'm excited to begin my first online Bible Study - JesusWalk, The Gospel of John - and look forward to studying with Pastor Ralph and you all. My wonderful husband, two sons, one daughter-in-law, and I are from Oklahoma. (No "wavin' wheat" here, just beautiful mountains!) I'm thankful the Lord helped me "find" this site while looking online for a picture of Jesus on the beach with His disciples. Needless to say, I'm ready! God bless all of you as we study together!