hanks

Q2. (John 8:3-8) Why did Jesus insist on unbiased, righteous witnesses casting the first stone? Why is verse 7 so often misused? Does Jesus require sinlessness of those called on to judge? What does He require? How does this compare with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7:1-5? Jesus knew that this was a setup orchestrated to discredit Him. Witnesses to this sin had to, according to the Law of Moses, initiate the stoning (Deuteronomy 17:7). So, He gave them His permission for the stoning to begin, but, in this case, only by those who were not part of the conspiracy to trap Him. Verse 7 is often used to excuse sin. The attitude is that we are free from blame because everyone else has done things that are wrong. However, this verse does not excuse sin, rather, it condemns those who are guilty even though they have never been caught. Jesus requires that the penalty of the law should be carried out. He is not talking about the sinlessness of those called to judge, but He is highlighting the importance of compassion and forgiveness. There is no one without sin: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23). When others are caught in sin, we are quick to pass judgment. Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 7:1-5 is in line with our passage of Scripture. Those who wish to judge others should be without sin themselves. In this part of Scripture, we again see an example of Jesus’ wisdom: “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).

Q1. (John 8:3-6) What was the trap Jesus' enemies tried to spring on him with the woman taken in adultery? What might be the consequence if he upheld stoning her? What might be the consequence if he said not to stone her? They were desperate to trick the Lord Jesus into saying something wrong and making the wrong decision. Previously they did not like His attitude towards the Sabbath and if they could nail Him here, they might be able to prove to all that He is a self-proclaimed heretic. The Law of Moses states that a person taken in the act of adultery should be stoned to death. The consequence of agreeing to have her stoned would enable them to report Jesus to the Roman authorities for disobeying their laws, as only the Romans had the authority to carry out the sentence of death. The consequence of not having her stoned and letting her go free would be opposing the Law of Moses and they would then accuse Jesus of being unjust. This whole trap was most probably orchestrated by the Pharisees - a complete setup trying to discredit our Lord Jesus. Also, by arresting only the woman they had already disregarded The Law as both the man and the woman were required to be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:22).

Q4. (John 7:37-39) In Jesus' teaching on streams of living water from within, whom does He invite to drink? What does He promise to believers? How, is this fulfilled at Pentecost rather than immediately after Jesus spoke it? To what degree has this been fulfilled in your life? He invites everyone to drink. His gospel is a universal gospel. There is not one who cannot be saved – if only they would come in faith to Christ. The promise is that the Spirit will reside in all who believe. This would be fulfilled only after Jesus was glorified. How my life has changed since becoming a believer. Sin no longer rules my life and the Holy Spirit helps me day by day to stick to the straight and narrow. The power of the new spiritual life within us keeps us from yielding to a life of sin: “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9). We obviously still sporadically sin, but we are no longer ruled or dominated by sin, and after sinning we feel intense guilt and repent. To be dead to the ruling power of sin means that we as Christians, and the power of the Holy Spirit is active in our life; giving us the power to overcome the temptations and enticements of sin. We read in Galatians 5:22-24: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” It is only the Holy Spirit who can produce the above attributes in our lives. The more we become like Jesus, the more we get to know Him the more will we love Him.

Q3. (John 7:17) Can we truly know God's will if we're not really willing to obey the truth we know? Why not? No, we cannot hope to know God’s will if we are not willing to obey His commands. Jesus Himself said: “If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15)”. Only by obeying Jesus can we ever begin to know God’s will. There, therefore, has to be a full acknowledgement of the Lordship of Christ. We need to find out what His will is and then we must do it. Proverbs 3:6 reads: “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:6)”. As we can see it will be to our advantage to abide by His Word. We know Jesus to be the source of absolute truth and His way is the only way to eternal life with God. We do not have the freedom to do whatever we feel like, but rather the freedom to follow God. We will discover when we fully submit to the will of God that Jesus’ teaching is indeed the very truth of God and therefore that Jesus is who He claims to be.

Q2. (John 7:15-17) How were rabbis trained in Jesus' day? How was Jesus trained? How were his disciples trained? What is the value of formal theological training? What is the value of learning to hear and obey the voice of the Spirit? They were apprenticed to a Jewish teacher and received formal training from official rabbinic schools. Jesus had never been to any of the religious schools of that day, yet everyone was amazed at His knowledge. It was the breadth of His understanding and His ability to teach that was so impressive. I only have to read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and especially the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) to know that these are the Words of God. Jesus’ teachings came directly from our Heavenly Father, and whatever the Lord Jesus spoke and whatever He taught came directly from God. He did not act independently of the Father. The disciples of course received their training directly from the Lord. I believe formal training is very important. I regret never having the opportunity to have studied Scripture at a Bible College or university. Albert Einstein said something like this: “that education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think”. I agree, it is so important to train the mind to think, and not just memorize a lot of facts. We do this, for example, by meditating on the Word. The Holy Spirit will prompt us, and He also gives believers the power of discernment, enabling us to separate truth from error.

Q1. (John 7:1-5) Why did Jesus stay in Galilee and avoid Jerusalem? What is the balance between taking precautions to protect yourself and trusting yourself into God's care? God is the all-powerful Creator who maintains and controls everything. Everything occurs according to His schedule. Throughout His earthly ministry we see Jesus complying with this timetable. Here we have Jesus still in Galilee but preparing to return to Jerusalem at the time predetermined in God’s plan. We are not to be foolish and not take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves. However, after protecting ourselves our ultimate destiny is in the hands of God. Our Heavenly Father will help us in our decision making as He does care for our wellbeing.

Q6. (John 6:61-66) What was the difference between the Twelve and the crowd of "disciples" that turned away from Jesus? What is the mark of true disciples according to John 8:31-32? The crowd of so-called disciples were more concerned about what the Lord could give them than getting to know who He is. They had seen the miracles yet they could only think of their selfish desires. As soon as they saw there was nothing in it for them, they turned away. The difficulty may have been more of their unwillingness than their inability to understand. But Jesus knew that no one would come to Him unless it were granted to Him by His Father. The Lord Jesus therefore told them that the power to come to Him can only be received from God the Father. The mark of true believers is that they abide in His Word. They continue learning the Word. They persevere not because they abide in His Word, but they abide in His Word because they are saved. Jesus makes the promise that every true disciple shall know the truth, and that the truth shall set us free – free from the bondage of ignorance, error, sin, law, and superstition. Those who truly know the Lord Jesus are delivered from sin, they walk in the light, and are led by the Holy Spirit of God.

Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is "eating the Bread of Life" a metaphor of? What is "eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood" a metaphor of? How are these metaphors similar to each other? Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? “Eating the Bread of Life is a metaphor of living forever – having eternal life through our Lord. It is by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ that we receive life that goes on forever. “Eating His flesh and drinking His Blood” is a metaphor of believing on Him. We must believe on Him, receive Him, trust Him, and make Him our very own. All who believe on Him will be raised up at the last day. These metaphors were used to emphasize the point He was making and to help us remember them as well.

Q4. (John 6:35-51) What does the metaphor of "eating the Bread of Life" mean in practical terms? To extend the same metaphor, what do you think might be the difference between nibbling the Bread of Life rather than actually making a meal of it? Those who eat of the Bread of Life will live forever. Jesus is the living bread and here Jesus is pointing forward to His death on the Cross where He would give His life as a ransom for sinners. His body would be broken, and His blood would be poured out as a sacrifice for sins. His death would pay the penalty that our sins demanded. The difference is actually nourishing our souls by studying and meditating on the Word, or starvation. The more we are engrossed in His Word the more we get to know Him and not just knowing about Him – the more we will experience a personal deep relationship with our Saviour.

Q3. (John 6:37, 44, 65) What is the significance of Jesus' teaching that only the ones the Father "draws" to him can come to him? In what way does this sound like predestination? How does the Holy Spirit prepare people to put their faith in Christ? Jesus teaches that all those that God gives to Him will be saved. But there are others who come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him by faith who will also be saved. So God does choose some to be saved, and He does this by His free grace. These are the elect who are chosen before creation. It is God’s right to save whoever He wants. Importantly, God never chooses some to be damned – if anyone perishes it is of their own doing. They are condemned by their own sinfulness and wickedness. The decision is theirs. In order to be saved, a man must come to the Lord Jesus in repentance and accept Him by faith. Satan, the god of this age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). He places a veil over their minds and hardens their hearts, keeping them in perpetual darkness. So he needs help and unless God begins to work in their heart and life, they will never realise their hopeless and helpless situation. They need help! We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” The gospel can only be received by the power of the Holy Spirit, without Him we can never understand as everything is but foolishness.

Q2. (John 6:28-29) What kind of "works" do people sometimes pursue to please God? According to Jesus, what is the most important "work" that God requires of us? We are always trying to earn our salvation. We like to feel that there is something we can do to justify eternal life. We also like to be in control of our lives – real control freaks. So we make all sorts of promises to our Lord which in the long run we cannot keep. If we can do it on our own it would give us a reason to boast. However in Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” Jesus knows our motives and sees through this hypocrisy. All that we are required to do is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and good works will follow – they do not precede salvation. The only good work a sinner can do is to confess his sins and receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. We see that people are acceptable to God because they have faith, and not because they obey the Law (Rom. 3:28). We are to remember that we are saved by faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus and it is a free gift. Thank You Lord!

Q1. (John 6:26-27) Why were some of these "believers" following Jesus? What were their selfish motives? For what motives do true disciples seek Jesus? Most of those following Jesus was because they saw an easy way to be fed – with free hand-outs. They were so obsessed with the material world that they failed to see the true blessing Jesus was offering them. They saw miraculous signs but failed to understand what it signified - that He was the Creator and the Messiah. He was trying to teach them that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). They had not yet learned that satisfying one’s physical appetite is not the most important thing in life. We consist not only of body, but of spirit and soul as well, so we should make sure that our soul is fed day by day with the Word of God. Physical food is short-lived but spiritual food leads to eternal life.

Q5. (John 6:14) How does the people's desire to make him king relate to the third temptation Jesus met in the wilderness (Luke 4:9)? What would have happened to God's plan of redemption if Jesus hadn't retreated to the hills on this occasion? Why must we carefully consider people's plans for our lives? They realized this was a genuine miracle and saw Jesus as the Messiah, but for the wrong reasons. From the OT teachings, they knew that a prophet was coming into the world, and after seeing this miracle performed they were willing to acknowledge that Jesus was that Prophet. They were expecting an earthly monarch and looked to Him to deliver them from the control of the Roman Empire. However, they looked upon Him for the wrong reasons which was not in the plan of salvation God had in mind. Their faith was not genuine as they had no interest in accepting Him as their Saviour. We can see from John 6:15 that Jesus knew what the people were up to. They were about to come and take him by force in order that they might make Him king, and then they would abuse His power for their own gain. First would be throwing off the yoke of the Romans and then free food and a life of luxury. However, He simply dismissed the vast throng, and ordered His disciples to go into a boat in order to row back to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We thank our Heavenly Father for sacrificing His Son so that we can spend eternity with Him.

Q4. (John 6:12-13) Why does Jesus have his disciples pick up the left-over pieces? What does this have to do with his attitude towards waste? What does it have to do with his teaching the disciples about abundance? Jesus had the power to provide any quantity of food, yet He taught them to pick up the pieces that had been left over. This was a lesson in good stewardship. His attitude to waste was that it was sinfulness even when there was such an abundance as in this example. Here we see the Creator of all abundance guarding against waste. We have to remember that all we have comes ultimately from God, and in reality it all belongs to Him.

Q3. (John 6:11) How did Jesus distribute the multiplied loaves and fishes to the multitudes? How do the disciples fit in? How are the baskets used? What impression do you think this is making on the disciples as they work hard during the ongoing miracle? After Jesus had given thanks, he took the bread and began to break off pieces of edible size, which he then gave to the disciples, who carried it in baskets to the people. Jesus must have used the same procedure with the fish. The baskets were then used to distribute the food swiftly and efficiently. Just as Jesus at Cana did not simply create wine, but changed water into wine, so I think here the same thing happened – He changed bread / fish into more bread / fish. The disciples must have been highly impressed with this miracle. They were directly involved in this miracle with the distribution of the food to everyone. The fact that those present received as much as they wanted, and that there was so much left-over, proved to them the generosity of the Father.

Q2. (John 6:10) Why does Jesus have the crowds sit down before feeding them? What is the disciples' role in this? Why would you prepare for a miracle if you don't think it would happen? How ready is your congregation to see miracles take place? From Mark 6:40 we read: “So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.” Jesus must have got them to sit down in these groups of hundreds and fifties for ease of counting and serving, and it was the disciples’ role to see that this was carried out. There must have been many more than 5000, if one includes in the count the women and children – easily 10 to 15 thousand mouths to feed. So it was important to have everything done in an orderly fashion. The people must have been prepared for a miracle to happen, otherwise they would not have obeyed the command to sit down in the groups as told. I suppose we would all be ready if we knew a miracle was about to take place.

Q1. (John 6:5-9) Why does Jesus try to get the disciples to own the task of feeding the crowds? What is the significance to the story of the boy's five loaves and two little fish? We read in Mat 14:15 that when evening came the disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away into the villages to get food. But Jesus knew they were hungry, and that the vast quantity of food required to feed everyone, would not be readily available at this late hour in the villages. He knows that He has to provide the food, but He first challenges His disciples with the need as a way of testing and strengthening their faith. Philip’s faith was weak as he found the situation impossible to solve. Andrew, however, did try to find a solution, telling Jesus that he had found a boy with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, obviously too little to feed the people. So, we see they both failed the test of faith, but they had already seen Jesus perform many miracles, yet they could not come up with a solution to the problem. Not one of them saw in Jesus the power to provide. He took the boy’s food, blessed it, broke it, handed it out to His disciples, and fed the whole crowd. The story of the little boy shows us that with whatever little we have, we need to give it all we’ve got and leave the rest to Jesus.

Q5. (John 5:39-40) What should be the role of the Scriptures in our lives? How is it possible for a person to be a great student of the Bible, but so lacking in spiritual discernment and lifestyle? How can we keep our churches orthodox but not legalistic and judgmental? God has spoken and disclosed Himself in the written Scriptures, so we need to hear the Scriptures, in order that we might respond to the Lord’s invitation to turn from our sins and receive Christ as our Saviour. Once we have responded the Scriptures become our handbook to life here on earth. We may become a great student of the Bible but without being born-again it in itself will have no true meaning. We have to be looking for Christ in the Scriptures, as any mastery of them at the literary level will not give eternal life. Salvation is not based on good works. One does not become a Christian by living a Christian life, or by merely reading the Bible. The Son alone gives life, and He is met in the Scriptures. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” However, without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives the Bible will have no special meaning. There has to be a renewing of the Holy Spirit which brings about a complete transformation, and we become new creatures by grace! We need Him to open our minds and to soften our hearts to make us receptive to His Word. Even then, spiritual growth takes time and is a lifelong commitment, as we are obedient to His Word and become more and more like Christ. As our knowledge of God’s Word increases does our faith grow. We have to come before our God in full reverence and there must be a certain standard of dignity in our services.

Q4. (John 5:36-37) According to John's Gospel, what is the value of miracles? What is the weakness of faith that depends solely on miracles? Why do you think that we don't have more miracles in our day? How much is that dependent upon a congregation's attitude (and unbelief) towards the importance of modern-day miracles? Jesus’ actions were fulfilments of OT prophecies about the Messiah. The Jews of His day, therefore, should have recognized these miraculous signs of healing the blind, feeding the poor, and restoring the lame, amongst others. However, many people were dazzled and intrigued because of His signs and wonders but they did not acknowledge or realize who He was. This shows the weakness of faith that depends solely on miracles, because these miracles should have clearly pointed to the Messiah. All that Jesus was and said and did, pointed to the intimate relationship He shared with the Father, and that He was revealing the glory of the Father. He showed great compassion for the physical afflictions of the people, but His main task was to save souls. I truly believe God performs numerous miracles on a daily basis, even today – all glorifying The Father. I only have to think of how He upholds the universes by His Word as we read in Heb 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” And the fact that by Him all things hold together as told in Col 1:17: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” This all confirms what a truly great God we serve!

Q3. (John 5:30) Why is Jesus so dependent upon the Father for wisdom? How dependent are you upon your culture to approve of your way of life and validate your wisdom? To what degree do you depend upon God for wisdom? Jesus cannot act independently of the Father, for they are One. God the Son’s, will and work, are in perfect unison with that of God the Father, and of course with God the Holy Spirit. Speaking about Jesus, we read in Colossians 2:3: “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” As mentioned here, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, so there is no need for us to go beyond what is written in the Word. In other words, no need to rely upon my culture to approve my way of life and validate my wisdom. Jesus said about Himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6a)”, so everything He ever said or did is true. And knowledge is the understanding of this truth, and wisdom is the ability to apply this truth that Jesus has taught us. We therefore, are totally depended upon God for wisdom, and it is only after we have been born-again that we can begin to understand this divine knowledge and start applying it in our lives. We are taught how to discern truth from error, and at the same time to develop divine insight; also how to think straight and how to evaluate all we have learned. We only have to look to God for wisdom, who gives it freely to all who ask (James 1:5).

Q2. (John 5:21-24) According to John 5:24, when does eternal life begin? What is our default position without Christ - life or death? How can people come to eternal life if they never "hear my word"? How do your friends and neighbours normally hear Jesus' word? What might be your role in seeing that they hear his word? Eternal life begins the moment we were born again. Our default position without Christ is death. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but the moment we put our trust in Jesus we pass out of a state of spiritual death into one of spiritual life. Eternal life is inseparable from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In other words to have life, one must have the Son of God. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12)”. It cannot be earned by good works or religion or the church – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)” In Romans 1:20 we read that we are all without excuse, since God clearly says that He has revealed Himself in nature: “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” And in Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has revealed Himself in the hearts of people: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” It is more a matter of people totally rejecting any knowledge of God - for we know our Heavenly Father will make Himself known to everyone who truly desires to know Him. There are plenty of opportunities for my friends and neighbours to hear the Word. It can be through the radio, TV, printed media and then from me as well.

Q1. (John 5:19-20) Are we intended to emulate Jesus' listening to the Father, or is knowing the Bible a modern-day substitute for this? Why don't churches teach more about hearing the voice of God? What would happen in our generation if we would learn to dynamically hear God and then obey what he is saying to us? I feel that God speaks to us through His Word, and I find that the more I study and meditate on the Word, the closer is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I think of John 10:27 where Jesus says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." The Lord Jesus knows His sheep; each one by name! Only those who are true sheep will hear His voice, which they recognize when He speaks to them through the Bible. They hear it when the Word is preached or studied, and because they believe in Him, they hear His voice day by day and obey His Word. Also, I feel that listening is an important spiritual skill, for listening to God is the first step in obeying Him. We must realize that God does not always reveal Himself only in powerful miraculous ways. Often He is found gently whispering in the quietness of a humbled heart. To listen we often have to step back from the busyness of our everyday life and listen carefully and quietly for His guidance. Our world is in a mess today because we act independently and not in accordance with His will. We are so self-centred and greedy and want everything our own way, but it is only when we start listening and obeying His Word that this world will ever come right. However, we have to be careful to choose what we listen to, because today there is so much unwanted noise that has to be screened out first.

Q4. (John 5:14-15) Is it possible to be blessed outwardly, but lost inwardly? Why did Jesus confront the healed man in the temple with his sin? How was this necessary for a full healing, his salvation? Does the man seem to respond with faith to Jesus' rebuke? Yes, God blesses all people abundantly not only believers. So one can be blessed outwardly but lost inwardly. It is only when we put our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and for our eternal life with God, that we are blessed inwardly. Jesus had shown love and mercy to this man. However, Jesus wanted the man to understand that sin has far more terrible results than physical sickness. He did not want the man to continue living the same kind of sinful life. It is far more important to be saved than to die in our sins and be condemned to eternal wrath. I doubt if this man really understood Jesus, but then he could have later grasped what Jesus meant and have repented.

Q3. (John 5:9-13) Why are the "Sabbath police" (the Pharisees) so upset at the man who is healed? How can a person be so intent on rules that they miss what God is doing? Have you ever caught yourself doing that? Has someone in your church been so intent on "how we do things here" that they couldn't see God at work? What is the sin of the Pharisees here? The Pharisees were very strict and even cruel in carrying out the their letter of the Law, often showing no mercy or compassion to others. Their interpretation of The Law of Moses (Exodus 20:8-44) decreed that one who broke the Sabbath should be stoned to death. However, they had expanded the written law to include 39 categories of work that violated the Sabbath law. The law forbade menial work on that day, but it did not prohibit the performance of acts of necessity or of mercy. Also, I think, what it actually meant was that one was not to perform one’s daily occupation on the Sabbath. Here it was the healed man carrying his pallet on the Sabbath, and they wanted to find the person that dared tell this man to break the Sabbath tradition. They showed no interest in the miracle Jesus had just performed, caring little that the man had been healed. Being so intent on rules and regulations they missed noticing that Jesus had shown wonderful love and mercy to this man. By performing this miracle, Jesus had stirred up the anger and hatred of the Jewish leaders, and this all, because the healing was done on the Sabbath! The result of all this was that they pursued Him and wanted Him killed. When it comes to changing how things are done, I feel I’m quite flexible. Although I must admit when they changed the times of the morning service it took me some time to adapt.

Q2. (John 5:6) Why do you think Jesus asked the invalid if he wanted to get well? Why is it important for us not to make assumptions, but to seek discernment about people's needs before we pray for them? This does seem a strange question, but it teaches us not to assume things. This man, after being here for 38 years, might not have wanted to be healed. Perhaps he enjoyed all the attention, or maybe he even made a decent living from the donations he received. We don’t know. There might have been other factors at play. However, this man has reminded me that we do seem to take our health for granted. Our Heavenly Father shows undiscriminating love to all people blessing us in abundance, yet we don’t always give Him the credit or thanks. We, as His children, are to reflect His character and show love for both believers and unbelievers.