Awake Us Now

The Gospel of John Week 6 Scripture: John 3:22-4:30, Jeremiah 2:13, Ezekiel 47.

Today we look at the character of Jesus and into His identity in the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well.

Great Points from Today's Study: Jesus is the groom and His people are the bride Jesus is above all! God gives the Spirit without limit! Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life Tensions amongst the people were high so Jesus heads to Galilee and decides to go through Samaria on the way. Jesus always has purpose and follows what The Father tells Him This woman didn't know it but she needed something from the Lord. She didn't know that Jesus was going to change her. Pastor shares about who the Samaritans were. The basic difference in their beliefs with the Jews was a difference in where they were to worship. Though the rest of their beliefs were the same the Jews did not like the Samaritans at all and would not associate with them or even talk to them. The meeting with the woman happens at Jacob's well in Samaria, at noon The time is important as women typically went to get the water for the day early in the morning. But it was noon when this woman was coming to the well. Why was she at the well at noon when other women were not there? We surmise it is because she maybe is shunned based on her lifestyle Jesus sits down by the well and proceeds to talk to the Samaritan woman, something that is just not done because men did not speak to women in public let alone a Samaritan woman Jesus asks her for a drink She's surprised Jesus talks to her. Jesus is not a rule follower! She asks why He would ask her for water. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." God is the giver of Living Water (Jeremiah 2:13) - Jesus is claiming deity. Jesus tells her that anyone who drinks the water He gives will never thirst again. Jesus is speaking spiritually He alone quenches the thirst of our souls - He wants to fill up her needy soul with His Himself! Jesus told her much about herself - He knew her - He know all about her life He knows us too! Jesus tells her "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) It is by the Holy Spirit that we understand who Jesus is. The Holy Spirit is the comforter, counselor and advocate. Real worship isn't where you go, it's who you know Real worship is not a matter of a place, real worship is a matter of a Person. Real worship is knowing the Messiah and the Holy Spirit that He gives. Real worship is not about ritual of where one worships, worship is about relationship with the one we worship! Jesus declares to her that He is the I AM. He is the Messiah - He is God! The Living God! The Living Water. She returns to town - forgetting that she probably is seen as an outcast, and shunned and instead tells everybody about Jesus! She can't help herself but to share all about Him!

What we learn: No one in need is ever turned away by Jesus.

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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: Exodus 20:4-6, Psalm 115:4-8, Matthew 6:24, Exodus 18:20, Deuteronomy 24:16, Colossians 3:5

Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me." We are to worship God.

Pastor begins today's teaching by talking about the different numbering of the commandments and how it does't matter how we number them, what matters is whether we listen to them and apply them to our lives.

Exodus 20:4-5 "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me."

So is this saying we have to take down pictures on our walls, or throw out figurines? This is not what God is saying. Pastor shares biblical examples supporting that God is not talking about banning all artwork. What God's talking about is idolatry - something that's become more important to us than He is.

What does it mean - God is a "jealous God?" Pastor explains that this doesn't mean God is sinfully jealous. God means that His desire, as our Creator, is that we know Him, worship Him and do not worship other objects or things. He wants us to worship Him alone and to place nothing else in front of our devotion to Him.

The verse speaks of the "third and fourth generations…" and the consequences of individuals and especially parents, on how setting an example to the children ends up getting passed down to the next generation and the next. This is why it's important to teach them about God and show them by how you live. Exodus 18:20 says, "Teach them His decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave."

But if individuals and parents choose not to live in faith to God and instead live as being part of the world, with all its idols, the next generation is taught idolatry and that gets passed down. God says this in Deuteronomy 24:16 says, "Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin." A child will not be condemned as an idolator if they come to know Jesus as their Savior. God's desire is that all people turn to Him and belong to Him. Idolatry and the consequences of it are important to understand because when we worship God and follow Him, there is an amazing blessing.

Exodus 20:6 "but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." What a powerful promise from our God who is merciful and gracious and who desires to bring blessings upon individuals, families, and generation after generation.

IDOLATRY

Psalm 115:4-8 summary: Idols are lifeless and they make their worshiper as dead as they are.

We can look at these verses and say as a believer, "I don't have an idol set up in my household. No statues, I don't offer incense before a statue and I don't bow down to poles or chant incantations." But…

Is there more depth that needs to be understood around the meaning of idolatry? John Calvin's quote: "The human heart is an idol factory." As part of our fallen nature we worship things over God. There are many contemporary idols. Here's a sampling of six:

APPEARANCE - becomes an idol when we're more concerned about how we look, how people perceive us, and how we appear before others, than how we appear before God. There's nothing wrong with looking nice - it's good to take care of ourselves, but appearance can become an idol when its one of the most important things in one's life, outstripping the concern of what God thinks of us.

EDUCATION - is a good thing but it can easily become a god in our lives where it becomes the most important thing, where we boast about our educational achievements, or put education above the what and who of God in our lives.

ENTERTAINMENT (sports, music, TV, movies) - can become the most important thing in our lives when we worship what's on the TV screen, worship the latest pop star, when icons are who we dream of or dream of becoming, when we try to look like, talk like, act like them…. Entertainment can become an abject of worship that crowds God out of our lives or reduces Him to an after thought.

MONEY - can become a dominant force in our lives. Matthew 6:24 says we cannot serve both God and money. The love of money - greed - can become our motivating source for our actions, desires, our future, our work and God ends up being left behind.

POWER - is the desire for influence, to be recognized by others, to be in control, but God is the One who is in control. We are to serve and respond to Him through faith in Him, not faith in ourselves.

SEX - It's morally neutral but can become an idol, especially in our sexually crazed environment today: wide spread pornography, sexual immorality not just winked at but encouraged. However, sex is a gift from God for procreation, intimacy and joy.

The Scriptures say we are not to worship an idol - instead we are to worship God alone as it says in Colossians 3:5 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

Martin Luther says, "We should fear, love and trust in God above all things." God is good and because He is, let us respond in repentance and believe in Jesus whose death covers our sin and who we know is coming back so that we will live forever with Him. Therefore my desire is to fear, love and trust in Him above ALL things!

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Scripture: Exodus 20:1-3, Psalm 19:1, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 33:8, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Matthew 22:36-38, Proverbs 3:5-6.

It's God alone that we are to worship, honor and follow. Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me."

The 10 Commandments have shaped so much of Western civilization and culture. Yet these ten words/commandments are often ignored - And what we see as people's god is the god of chance.

Our culture, and much of the time our educational system, teach us that all that exists is the result of a gigantic cosmic accident. That chance is the author of life. This is seen in our media, our movies, and every direction we turn. A view that is accepted even though the science goes against it.

In the last 50 years we've learned much about the complexity of life and that it points to a Designer - not to a chance explosion. Our culture has not caught up to some of the remarkable discoveries in recent history.

In the 1980's MIT discovered that the likelihood of self replicating DNA is 1 chance in 10 to the 65th power - that's 10 with 65 zeroes behind it showing us creation didn't start by "chance," it started with a Designer, a Creator.

Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Not only do the heavens declare the glory of God, even at the microscopic and sub-atomic levels the complexity of creation screams that there is a Creator! Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

Not chance, but Creator… and it is because of the profound truth of a Designer, a Creator, that the Ten Commandments need to be re-examined in our day by believers and non-believers.

God broke into human history on Mt. Sinai, proclaiming His goodness and power and delivering the Ten Commandments. God also stepped into history through Christ's resurrection. The Living God took on human flesh and lived among us, lived a servant life, willingly went to the cross, shed His blood for all, and is risen from the grave, ascended to the Father's right hand and He IS returning!

God breaking into history changes how we look at our lives and it changes how we look at the Ten Commandments.

How do we see the Ten Commandments? ⁃ As Painful Demands that God says we better do? ⁃ As a Joyful Response to the move of God in history and in our hearts and lives?

God has intervened in our history and intervened in our lives and He is good. He is asking us to listen to His voice. He is telling us He is our Designer and he knows what is best for us, to what will bring the greatest blessing in our lives. And that starts with the commandment that says, "You shall have no other God's before me." It's God and God alone! He says YOU - in Greek this is singular - making this command personal. He is speaking individually to each of us. He's speaking to me.

What does it mean for me to have no other gods? ⁃ I am to revere Him alone He is to be the object of reverence in my life and my source of our awe. Psalm 33:8 says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him." Fear God - is to be in awe of Him, fear God means I am accountable to Him.

⁃ I am to love Him above all Because He is my Creator, because He is good, because He sent Jesus my response to Him is to love Him. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." And in Matthew 22:36-38 Jesus is asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" And Jesus replies: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."

⁃ I am to commit my life to Him and to trust Him with all my heart. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight" He will guide and lead me. When I commit to Him I'm desiring to allow His Holy Spirit and His Truth to guide me, and to allow Jesus to reign as Lord in my life.

Who is "The Lord?" In Deuteronomy 6:4 we read that He is ONE, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." One God: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. One God but yet three unique persons and He is telling us in the first of His Words from Mt. Sinai to follow, trust, revere, love, worship and honor Him.

He offers us Salvation when we admit we need a Savior. "Lord, I need you, I am a sinner, and I desire to receive all that You have for me through my faith in Jesus, my Savior. Thank You."

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Scripture: Exodus 20:1-2

What are the Ten Words? We read in Exodus 20:1, "And God spoke all these words." "Words is referring to the Ten Commandments God spoke on Mount Sinai to Moses. God's Ten Commandments are found in the rest of Exodus 20 and also in Deuteronomy 5.

Because these commandments are unnumbered in the Bible, there have been several ways these 10 Words have been numbered, but it doesn't matter how you number them - what matters is whether you listen to them or not.

Exodus 20:2 God continues, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." He is saying He's the Israelite's Deliverer from bondage in Eqypt. We can also see this truth throughout Scripture as well when God promised to send a Savior and then sent the Messiah, Jesus Christ to Deliver His people from the bondage of sin. Deliverance - God is the One who saves and all commandments flow from this statement of God's deliverance for His children.

It's not that we are saved by obeying the commands. It is God who saves us. He is the Deliverer but in response to His work we desire to do what His 10 Words teach.

We cannot earn His favor, rather it's God that has shown us His favor by being our Deliverer. Deliverance is at the heart of all 10 Words.

Two dangers around the Ten Words: ⁃ Pride. Thinking we have been good, or at least better than others. Or that we can earn God's favor, but we ALL have sinned which means we all need to be rescued. We need a Savior because we cannot measure up to a holy God. (We are not measured against others, the measure is against a perfect, holy God and we all have failed) Only Jesus has obeyed the Father fully. Only Jesus lived the perfect life we could not. Only Jesus the perfect Lamb could shed His blood for our sin and save us.

⁃ Rebellion. Some of us refuse to believe there is a god. Others do what they think is "good." Others may even question is there really good and bad and choose to ignore anything or anyone that says differently. The religious also rebel in thinking that "if God loves me and Jesus came to die for me, than I'm saved by His grace through faith so sin is not that big of a thing - I can do what I please, it doesn't really matter because I'm saved." But this too is deception and it is rebelling against the plan and purpose of God.

What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments for those who know God and trust in Jesus? What about the unbeliever, how do these commandments speak into their lives.

God desires to call us ALL to the truth, to deliver us all from bondage to rebellion and foolishness and pride. His desire is to have us come face to face with Him and His love for each one of us.

Consider God's commandments as an Owner's Manual, like an owner's manual for your car. The car's maker tells the best ways to care for the vehicle. The Ten Commandments are God's Owner's Manual for His people. This "manual" shows us how to care for what our Maker made, how to live well, how to live as a thank You note to God.

Understanding God as our Deliverer, through faith in our Savior, changes how we look at the Commandments. Rather than a list of "dos" and "don'ts" we see them as God's way of showing us how to have a meaningful life for all and to help us create a meaningful culture for all.

Our Maker knows what's best for us. His words give direction and purpose for our lives.

How does God use the Ten Commandments? 1. As a CURB - to keep us on the right path. 2. As a MIRROR - to show us our faults. As a mirror we see how we need a Savior, especially in a culture that is so far off the narrow path. 3. As a GUIDE - for Him to lovingly direct His will over our sinful nature.

The Ten Commandments are a response to God's deliverance and we can look at them as the Owner's Manual spoken by our Maker.

Will we use this Owner's Manual and will we let it be our curb, mirror and guide that points us back to the truth of our need for a Savior?

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Revelation 21:23 - 22:21 -- Perfection of the New Jerusalem; The Tree of Life restored; This prophecy not to be sealed up; Jesus is coming soon/quickly. Final video in this series. https://www.awakeusnow.com What does The Book of Revelation say about the future? How does it address the events of today? So many different interpretations — which is the correct one? Is this book scary? — or — Is this book an incredible comfort? Join us as we explore this controversial book together. https://www.awakeusnow.com

Revelation 21:1-27 -- A new Heaven and a new earth; God dwells among His people; The New Jerusalem comes down; Description of the city and promises of God. What does The Book of Revelation say about the future? How does it address the events of today? So many different interpretations — which is the correct one? Is this book scary? — or — Is this book an incredible comfort? Join us as we explore this controversial book together. https://www.awakeusnow.com

We need to take God seriously and we need to hear clearly what He is telling us! The Bible says that the Tabernacle was kept at Shiloh during the period of Judges, and recent excavations at Tel-Shiloh add archeological evidence and bring the Bible to life! But the Bible also relates how often Israel ignored the commands and true worship of God and fell into idolatry, with consistently disastrous results. The stones of El-Tel remind us of this truth: It is important to take God seriously. Discover what the stones are crying out!

The Gospel of John Week 5 Scripture: John 3:1-14, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Numbers 21:5-9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Kings 18:4, Mark 1:14.

Today's class explores the story of Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin Council. Pharisees were a group Jesus often had harsh criticism for. They are all about religion and following rules, and about what they do instead of what God has done and having a relationship with Him.

Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus is a teacher come from God because of the miracles there have been and Jesus responds, "No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again from above." Born again is something God does individually in each person. Nicodemus replies with how does one do that? And Jesus goes on to say we must be born of water and the Spirit. Ezekiel 36:25-27 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."

Jesus is saying what the prophets have said all along - it is now coming true - A New Covenant - the time of the New Covenant has come and Jesus is saying He's bringing it! God Himself washes us clean and pours out His Spirit on us and gives us a new heart. He changes us from religion to a relationship with God that endures forever.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee - he was into religion - but not relationship with God. Jesus is calling Nicodemus to take his eyes off himself and put his eyes on God and take his eyes off his own accomplishments and put his eye on the Messiah who is going to deliver, redeem, restore and renew. Jesus is breaking Nicodemus' paradigm. It's not what we do, it's what God does!

Jesus goes on to say, "so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." Jesus is saying He will be lifted up and all who look to Him will be saves. He's saying we need a Savior and that Savior is Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Jesus goes on to speak these marvelous words, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

The Light shows us for what we are - hypocrites- looking good on the outside but inside we are dead. But now the Son has come and He's come not to condemn us but to save us! To redeem us! When we live by the Truth - we come into the Light.

Jesus is calling Nicodemus to set aside what he has always believed and instead yield himself totally to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is breaking into Nicodemus' life and He wants to break into our lives too! To give us a new heart and to pour out His Spirit into us.

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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!

Revelation 20:1 - 21:1 -- The Millennium - where different views agree and disagree; Satan bound - what does this mean?; First and Second Resurrections, First and Second Deaths; Gog and Magog; The final battle and Satan's utter defeat; Lake of Fire; A new heaven and a new earth (more on this next week). Q & A session. https://www.awakeusnow.com What does The Book of Revelation say about the future? How does it address the events of today? So many different interpretations — which is the correct one? Is this book scary? — or — Is this book an incredible comfort? Join us as we explore this controversial book together. https://www.awakeusnow.com

Revelation 19:6-21 -- The wedding of the Lamb; Hallelujahs; The rider on the white horse goes forth, heaven's armies follow; The Beast and the kings of the earth gather with their armies and are utterly defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire; Triumph of God. Next week: The Millenium. https://www.awakeusnow.com What does The Book of Revelation say about the future? How does it address the events of today? So many different interpretations — which is the correct one? Is this book scary? — or — Is this book an incredible comfort? Join us as we explore this controversial book together. https://www.awakeusnow.com