Awake Us Now

Scripture: Exodus 34:6-7, Lamentations 3:22-23, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 4:7-21, 1 Timothy 1;15.

From Genesis to Revelation the steadfast love of God is very evident and His steadfast love is shown in spite of human rebellion. Even when we turn away from Him, He is still there.

In Lamentations the prophet Jeremiah understands the steadfast love of God as He prays, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

The cost of love was a love that was sacrificial, self-giving, a love that caused God, who loves the world and cares about each and everyone of us, to sacrifice His own Son for our rebellion.

Love is the message of the Cross. 1 John 4:10 "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

In God's love we find not only forgiveness, not only hope and peace, but we find an incredible resource for loving as He first loved us.

1 John 4:7-21 shows us genuine love. God is Love. God in His very essence, His very character is love - steadfast love. That love has shown itself in the Lord Jesus Christ and God's gift of forgiveness and life and hope in Him.

God's steadfast love is a fingerprint all over the pages of Scripture, all across the centuries, but especially at the cross. And that is the love God wants manifested in each of our lives, that more and more we love like He does.

Nothing speaks more powerfully to those who do not know God, than the unconditional love of someone who does know Him.

A breakdown of 1 John 4:7-21 ⁃ Love for God ⁃ Love for truth ⁃ Love for fellow believers ⁃ Love for enemies

We are not to hesitate to love those who have hurt us, made our lives difficult or who've wandered from God. Our heartfelt prayer, and our spirit-guided work is to love them as God does and to woo them back. That is genuine love.

The fingerprint of God's steadfast love changes lives, restores broken hearts, renews damaged spirits and restores life to the soul.

We are to know His steadfast love and reflect it because that changes lives, that changes families, that restores communities, that redeems countries and that makes a difference for eternity.

And it begins one person at a time.

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Pastor and Jan have returned from a visit to Saudi Arabia, seeing sites that Westerners have not seen for thousands for years. In these last days, God's Word is speaking loudly through recent discoveries in the areas of history, science, archeology and geography. Today, we explore one of the most powerful stories in the Bible: the Exodus. Geographical details are significant - they remind us that God's deliverance has taken place in history. The God who split the sea in Exodus 14 can also raise the dead, destroy evil, and create a new heaven and earth. Through His power, there is true hope and salvation for all who call upon His name. https://www.awakeusnow.com Resources suggested by Pastor Dodge to explore new theories on the location of events in Exodus: The website https://www.patternsofevidence.com/ Video series - "Patterns of Evidence" "The Lost Sea of Exodus," "The Exodus Mysteries," books by Dr. Glen A. Fritz "Mt. Sinai in Arabia," book by Joel Richardson

The Gospel of John Week 12 Scripture: John 7:53 - 8:58.

Pastor begins today's class with the story found in John 7:53-8:11, which is a controversial piece of the Bible because not all manuscripts have these verses. Pastor shares that whether originally there or whether they were added later, there's much to learn from these verses about who Jesus is.

As this text opens we see that the Jewish religious leaders continue to struggle with unbelief in who Jesus is and work to discredit Him using religious traps. Their desire is to come up with reasons to show Jesus needs to be punished - put to death - so they continue working at setting Him up hoping for a major blunder that they can accuse Him of. But Jesus is too brilliant! This is a story with some wonderful truths about Jesus. We see the following behaviors of Jesus: ⁃ Total Comprehension of all that is going on ⁃ He shares a Full Disclosure ⁃ He has Holy Compassion for the woman that is at the center of this story ⁃ Gives True Forgiveness ⁃ Offers a New Beginning

As we continue at verse 12 of chapter 8 we read the story of the "dispute over Jesus' testimony." He says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Pastor shares that when Jesus says that He's the Light of the World, He is in the Temple Courts in Jerusalem for the festival, the Feast of Tabernacles. Tabernacles is the most joyous of the major Jewish festivals. During this festival four extremely large golden menorahs were set up in the Temple court. Each was 75 feet high with a huge golden bowl. Each of the four bowls for the four stands was filled with oil and during the festival the menorahs were lit every evening at sundown burning through to midnight. From rabbinic writings we read how these bowls of lights could be seen from all over the city and people sang and danced while they were lit. This is then that Jesus cries out, "I am the Light of the World!"

Jesus is claiming to be Deity! But the religious leaders respond with a challenge to His testimony and Jesus responds with several truths and is very direct with them.

Then He goes on to say, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come." To the religious leaders Jesus goes on to say they do not know Him because they do not know God. And the dispute over who He is continues. Many people in the courts listening, believed, but the religious leaders continued in disbelief and their anger toward Jesus continued to escalate.

In chapter 8 verses 31-47 we read the dispute over whose children Jesus' opponents are. Are they God the Father's or are they the devil's? Jesus confronts them with a description of the devil and that the devil is the father of lies. Jesus tells the religious leaders that they belong to the devil because they cannot see the truth of what He continues to tell them about who He is.

In verses 48-58 the conversation continues with Jesus going on to make several more claims of who He is. Jesus closes with, "Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!" Again Jesus claims deity so they become so angry they pick up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself and slipped away from the temple grounds.

Next week we will read of Jesus healing a blind man. We will study the story of this physical healing but also explore spiritual blindness and how this story has much to teach us still today.

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⁃ The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. ⁃ The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:22-23.

The Fingerprints study today will show us the Lord Jesus risen from the grave, gloriously exalted at the Father's right hand and returning soon!

Today, we explore the fundamental teaching of the Christian faith and the heart of the Bible: The Resurrection of Jesus. We will take a look at God's fingerprints that testify to the risen Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:14 "And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn't mean anything. Your faith doesn't mean anything either."

5 Fingerprints: ⁃ The Women - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all say Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus. In that culture and in that day they would not have used the eyewitness of a woman to prove a story was true. They would not begin the resurrection story with a woman to first see Jesus risen. ⁃ The Tomb - all Gospel authors admit the tomb was empty. We see eye witnesses who believed Jesus, but also hostile witnesses, opponents of the faith, who in fact admitted the tomb was empty. ⁃ The Failure - the failure of Jesus' friends to look good - when Jesus was arrested, they ran away as he was arrested. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. At the cross only 1 of the 12 was there. They were hiding, afraid and not ever expecting Him to rise. And yet what happened to these fearful men? These individuals who cowered, who ran and hid became some of the most courageous witnesses the world has ever known. And during their lifetimes they turned the world upside down with their testimonies of Jesus. The truth of Jesus' resurrection changed their lives. They laid their lives on the line and were willing to die for the truth of Christ's resurrection. ⁃ The Scandal - Jesus was crucified. How could any one worship someone who was crucified - a death reserved for the most evil of people. So having Christ die by crucifixion - would not be the way to encourage people to see the story as true. ⁃ The Enemy - Saul was a brilliant man who was a bulldog who recognized that the message of Jesus needed to fall or Judaism would fall. He hunted down followers of Jesus, arrested them, supported their deaths, AND THEN he met the risen Jesus on a walk to Damascus and under the Light and Voice of Christ, Saul was changed and became the apostle Paul, a mighty warrior for Christ. This enemy - Saul - became the missionary Paul! All because He encountered the risen Christ. The enemy became a man who freely gave himself to faith in Jesus.

Today's fingerprints put together a chain of evidence - fingerprints of God. Everything stands or falls on this one event in human history. No one would invent this story unless it was true!!! Jesus is risen! This is real, this is genuine and this is true and He's coming back! Because He's risen, we're gonna live forever! With Him!

Pastor closes class with an invitation to receive Jesus as your personal Savior and leads us in a sinner's prayer of repentance and then acceptance of Christ.

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Scripture: Matthew 5:44, Romans 5:8 and Acts chapters 6 & 7.

Today we will look at an incredibly powerful aspect of God's character: He is a forgiving God. This is what the scriptures have declared and it is what God Himself says. He leaves His fingerprints on a cross to demonstrate to us just how incredible His forgiveness is and the depth of His remarkable love.

Pastor shares a heart-wrenching story of unimaginable forgiveness, setting the stage for the lessons we learn from God's love and forgiveness. The story shows the divine, all powerful love of God and His love alone is what can bring forgiveness to even the most difficult, painful, tragic, and horrific situations.

God forgives us with amazing love. He allowed His Son to stretch out His arms on a cross and to pay the full penalty for our rebellion against the Father - He showed us amazing forgiveness in the person of Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And THAT changes everything.

His incredible love has the power to change any life, and to bring healing and forgiveness into even the darkest of places.

This is not saying that because God loves us we excuse or accept evil that is done to us. God doesn't say we need to approve of those who wrong or hurt us. Evil is still evil. Tragedy is still tragic, but what God says is that He gives us the power to rise above it, to overcome evil will good, to rise above tragedy so then we do not live in the past, grieving and full of despair. Instead, the Lord frees us, frees us to speak truth, but to speak the truth in love, and to forgive even those who have been our enemies.

Pastor has us take a look at the story of Stephen, as told in Acts chapters 6-7, who as he was being unjustly stoned and killed, speaks truth, mercy and forgiveness. Stephen's Prayer as he was being stoned to death - Acts 7:59-60 "While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep." (Died). Stephen knew the words Jesus spoke from the cross, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." And Stephen now takes that example of love and forgiveness and with his dying breath spoke forgiveness.

God tells us as He has forgiven us, so we also are to forgive others.

Matthew 5:44 "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." It's not about liking them or accepting their actions - It's about loving them - genuine love is not a matter of feelings. Instead it is an act of the will.

We, as an act of will by faith in Jesus Christ, can love even our enemies. We are encouraged to allow the incredible love of God to deeply impact our lives.

Pastor shares three truths for why we are to forgive and shares insight into the benefits of forgiveness. When we reflect the character of God in our lives, it not only honors Him, it strengthens others and changes us. ⁃ God ⁃ Others ⁃ Self

The class closes with another story that gives a profound example of forgiveness that is motivated only by the goodness and grace of God. A gut-wrenching testimonial that's the result of a powerful act of will that shows unexpected, unexplained love and forgiveness that changed the lives of all involved in this tragic event.

We are called to love and forgive because God has loved and forgiven us.

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Scripture: Psalm 119:105, Mark 7:6-23, Ezekiel 26, Luke 24.

"Can I really trust what the Bible says?" An increasing body of evidence says "Yes," but are we willing to let God's Word impact our lives?

We continue to look at ordinary things that are often overlooked but when we have eyes to see - we suddenly recognize the incredible power and presence of God among us.

Today, we talk about the Bible and its reliability. ⁃ Can I trust the Bible? Is it trustworthy? True? ⁃ Does this really matter for me today? Does it apply to my life?

What God desires is to bring answers to those questions, life changing answers, answers that speak directly into our doubts and questions. Sometimes we don't want our doubts answered because we are comfortable with them. Are you willing to let His Word (Bible) change that?

FIVE EVIDENCES that tell us of the reliability the Word - things readily seen, clearly demonstrated, and that can be carefully researched and checked out

- Documentary Evidence How do I know that people didn't change what was originally written? How do I know the words haven't been tampered with over the years? Are there ways to examine if the word has been changed over time?

In the last 70 years remarkable discoveries for the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures make it very clear how incredibly reliable those ancient words of the Bible have remained.

Pastor shares archaeological information of recent discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls that show really remarkable faithfulness of the transmission of these scriptures down through the ages. These scrolls date back to before Jesus.

For the New Testament Pastor shares proofs of the New Testament being remarkably well attested as one compares all the diverse copies written down in various centuries preserved over the years. We are able to compare multiple volumes and find they have been faithfully preserved. As well, other ancient writings from even non-Christian historians document the events of Jesus' life bearing evidence of reliability of the scriptures.

⁃ Archaeological Evidence Discoveries in the last few decades give cause to even the most skeptic of minds to say, "maybe there's something to this!"

Pastor shares several archaeological discoveries of 2005 (David's palace), 2004 (Pool of Siloam), 2015 (ancient bullah - clay seals with the inscription, "belonging to Hezekiah son of Ahaz, King of Judah.") and 2018 (another seal inscribed with "belonging to Isaiah the prophet" dating nearly 3000 years ago). These are the very names of people who are described in the Old Testament scriptures and this reminds us that these people as well as the places they inhabited are REAL!

The Bible is not made-up stories. It is the true and living account of real people who encountered the real God and whose lives were transformed.

These ancient evidences remind us that the Bible is something genuine, sharing the successes, but also not does hesitating to share the failures of its heroes. God is a truth teller.

⁃ Prophetic Evidence These are things recorded for centuries before Jesus came and which were fulfilled decades, centuries and for some millenia later - some in our own day. (See week 2 for more on this)

Biblical prophecy is the clear declaration of what is to come, and shows the truthfulness of what the Bible proclaims and has been proven reliable.

Pastor shares several prophetic examples. Throughout the Scripture we can see amazing prophetic words that are key, critical and powerful testimonies to an all knowing God!

⁃ Christological Evidence Pastor shares evidence of Jesus - Jesus was more than a "great man" and tremendous teacher. He made it clear that the Hebrew Scriptures point to Him. Pastor sights several examples of Jesus fulfilling what the Old Testament proclaimed.

⁃ Personal Evidence Pastor shares testimonies from people whose lives were dramatically changed through encounters with God's Word, including his own testimony.

God's Word (Bible) is reliable - allow His Word to speak to your heart. God speaks to us personally through His Living Word. It's a Word that changes lives. Let Him change yours. It's a Word that renews the soul. Let Him renew yours. It's a Word that gives direction, guidance, comfort, assurance and power to those who will hear His voice. Will you see the Scriptures as reliable?

WE ALL NEED HIS WORD IN OUR LIVES TODAY!

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Scripture: Isaiah 65:9, Isaiah 46:9-10, Deuteronomy 28:58-67, Deuteronomy 29:22-23, Jeremiah 31:35-37, Isaiah 11:11-12, Luke 21:24, Ezekiel 36:33-35, Luke 13:35, Romans 9:5, Romans 11:12-15.

We continue to look at God's fingerprints that are readily observable but often overlooked, things that testify to God's goodness, faithfulness, power and promises.

The Living God is true, genuine, near and He keeps His word! 2,700 years ago God declared through His prophet Isaiah that he knows how everything turns out in the end. He knows the end from the beginning and he will accomplish everything He has said he will do.

"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" Isaiah 46:9-10

In today's study we will look at the way those promises of God have been fulfilled through the ages and apply that to our lives, today.

Children of Israel: ⁃ Scattered worldwide - Deuteronomy 28:58-64 "If you disobey Me, then I will scatter you." (Not as punishment but to return you to Me.) Two times this has happened to the Jewish people ⁃ At the Babylonian captivity ⁃ and again in 70AD until 1948. ⁃ Endlessly persecuted - Deuteronomy 28:65-67. No other people in the history of the world have suffered the kind of endless persecution that the Jewish people have endured. ⁃ Land desolated - Deuteronomy 29:22-27. Land of Israel was once a land of milk and honey, vibrant, alive and prosperous and became a desolate wasteland. ⁃ Nation preserved - Jeremiah 31:35-37. God promises He will not forsaken them - they would be preserved ⁃ People regathered - Isaiah 11:11-12. Currently, there are more Jewish people in Israel than in the USA ⁃ Jerusalem reclaimed - Luke 21:24. This took place in 1967. ⁃ Land restored - Ezekiel 36:33-35. Wasteland will become like Eden. Pastor shared how he has witnessed the change in the land over the last decade of his visits there. Desert has begun to bloom, cities are springing up and ancient town are growing.

This list - the words of God that were spoken - are things that have taken place just as they were predicted - showing us the Fingerprints of God on history.

A darkness of heart came on the Jewish people and as a result the message of Jesus has spread to the gentile world. God is merciful and faithful - even though many Jewish people rejected Messiah when He came. Romans 11:12,15 "Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!"

Many Jewish people rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, meant the message of Jesus was spread throughout the non-Jewish world and not billions confess Jesus as Savior and believe in God the Creator who is the God of the prophecies. Their rejection of the Messiah meant riches for the world but when they finally receive Him - Look Up! Because that brings the Resurrection of the dead! That brings Christ's return!

These are exciting times that we live in. There is a massive revival taking place worldwide. Pastor shares exciting stats showing a booming revival!

When we look at God's fingerprints on the pages of history, when we look at the way the prophetic word has been fulfilled in such remarkable ways - it's difficult to think this is all coincidence. What it is is the fulfillment of everything God has said.

And this fulfillment of His words is not just an argument for His existence - this is His plea for us to take Him seriously! And to return to Him as Lord and Savior of our lives.

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

Scriptures: Acts 17:24-27, John 1:4, John 6:4, 1 Timothy 4:8, Ecclesiastes 3:11.

This is a series that takes a look at things that are readily obvious, but whose significance is frequently missed. We'll look at Fingerprints of God that are truly all over the world today and all over our lives and yet so often in the busyness of the moment we miss those amazing reminders of God's goodness, of His presence, of his faithfulness and of His great gift of Jesus Christ for each of us.

God IS speaking in amazing ways in our generation and in our time!

Pastor talks about the miracle of life and the odds that science has placed on life happening, they say it requires at least 150 unique things to make life possible. The research calculates the chance of that "accidentally" happening to be 1 chance to the 50th power - that's a 1 with 50 zeroes behind it… or impossible….

How life happened cannot be explained, but there is a 1 word, three letter answer - IT'S G-O-D!

LIFE IS A MIRACLE!

Our culture sees life as just happening, but with a 1 to the 50th power chance that's saying it's impossible. Life didn't just happen, life is created and God is The Creator!

Living things like singing birds, our pets, the sky, truly are fingerprints of God. Acts 17:24-27 tells us, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth … He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us."

Fingerprints of God ⁃ Life - everything living ⁃ Us inhaling and exhaling at this moment! ⁃ Raising Jesus from the dead ⁃ Creation ⁃ Salvation

John 1:4 tells us, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." Jesus didn't come to this world to make bad people good, Jesus Christ came to this world to make dead people live. We are spiritually dead and in the Lord Jesus Christ, God offers real life to each of us - it's life that lasts forever!

John 6:40 says, "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." Life itself is a fingerprint of God and we were created to live forever and that forever life is found in Jesus.

There is a present life and there is the life to come. In that life to come we will live forever even through we experience physical death.

God has left His fingerprint on our hearts and He tells us He has put eternity in our hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11: " He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

The way we spend our forever life hinges on ONE thing and that is how we receive the gift that God offers. JESUS IS THAT GIFT.

God offers life through His Son and that's a gift and promise we want to accept through faith in the perfect One, Jesus, who's fingerprints were nailed to the cross, who conquered sin, death and the devil when He rose from the grave, the One who promised to return!

LIFE is in Jesus and Life is the FINGERPRINT OF GOD AND HIS LOVE.

Watch the video from our website https://www.awakeusnow.com/tuesday-bible-class

Now What? Learn about God at https://www.awakeusnow.com EVERYTHING we offer is FREE.

Watch via our app. Text HELLO to 888-364-4483 to download our app.

We invite you to join us for our Sunday service every Sunday at 9:30am CT (live or on demand) here: https://www.awakeusnow.com/sunday-service

The discovery of the ancient ruined city of Sodom proves that the Biblical account of this city is no fairy tale, and shows us a picture of the final judgment. In Biblical times, people did not understand what was coming nor heed the warnings, but these stories are real and they have a lot to teach us! Jesus pointed to the destruction of Sodom and the devastation of the Great Flood to warn His people of the coming final judgment and to call them to repentance and eternal life in Him. We, too, need to know not only WHAT the future holds, but WHO holds the future. Matthew 24:37-39.

The Gospel of John Week 11 Scripture: John 7:22-59.

Pastor opens by sharing details of the Feast of Tabernacles and the scriptures of the Living Water that were read during this 8 day festival. Festival readings included: Ezekiel 47:1-12, Zechariah 14:8 and Jeremiah 17:13b.

As our story opens, it is the Feast of Tabernacles and these scriptures would have been read. Pastor goes on to share that there has been much learned over the last 100 years and especially in the last 15 or so that helps to bring this text and the story alive. As we look at what we know about the time of Jesus and what we are discovering, they are changing our understanding of the Bible, bringing a new sense of significance and even urgency as what we are discovering is a testimony that says, "This is real!"

Some recent archeological work has found what is believed to be the City of David - but not at all where it was thought to be, and the discovery of the Hezekiah Tunnel, and more recently the Pool of Siloam show us a different location than originally thought for the Pool and also that it was a very large pool, not a small one. Also that it was filled with fresh water by the Han Spring flowing through the Hezekiah Tunnel into the Pool. The Pool of Siloam was the only fresh - or living water in the city of Jerusalem.

Pastor shares the events of Tabernacles and the pouring out of water into the Temple by the priests carrying it from the Pool of Siloam for the first 7 days of the festival. On the 7th Day they carried and poured water 7 times in the Temple.

So as our story continues, it's either Day 7 (7 times the priests poured water in the Temple) or it's Day 8 (the day of rejoicing, and celebration) when we read verse 37-38, "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

He is essentially telling them that what you've been doing for the last week with the pouring of water, point to Me and it's what the prophets said would happen when Messiah comes, that living water would pour out of the Temple. And then it goes on in verse 39, "By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.and that the Living Water is the Holy Spirit." Jesus is saying that He is the fulfillment of what the prophets have declared and that everyone who believes on Him will receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus is calling us to a new day - the fulfillment of what the prophets have said - Messiah- is here! And He, the Messiah, gives the Holy Spirit. Jesus is claiming to be God.

At this some called Him prophet, others called Him Messiah and others were in disbelief and angry. The crowd became divided with many wanting to seize Jesus. The temple guard go and report back to the chief priests.

The chief priests were Sadducees and they united with the Pharisees, a group that they did not get along with but they did unite together over their desire to do away with Jesus. The very ones who should have embraced Jesus as the Messiah, instead say, "Let's kill Him."

Pastor concludes by saying in 6 months from this event of Tabernacles, the Passover will be celebrated and we will see Jesus dead, and raised during another important festival and how this festival too, finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Our website – https://www.awakeusnow.com

Watch the video from our website! https://www.awakeusnow.com/2-year-study-of-the-gospels-upper

Watch the video from our YouTube Channel!! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTaaqrC3dMOzMkhPyiNWwlJRpV6Bwpu01

⁃ The Gospel of John study is part five of five of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. ⁃ The Gospel of John may be one of the most powerful books ever written. Many people have come to faith after reading only this book of the Bible. Scholarly and archeological discoveries in recent decades give us new insight on details in the Gospel of John. We can now understand it as the most Jewish rather than the most "Gentile/Greek" of the Gospels, and when we do that we see many things that we missed before.

Our 2 year study of the gospels is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time!