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Matthew 26:17-28 — pg. 1543

How do you PREPARE for the FEAST?

JESUS is in CONTROL.

At the feast of FORGIVENESS all the guests are SINNERS.

You are INVITED to the FEAST. You are WELCOME at HIS TABLE.

Jesus is doing SOMETHING NEW during the PASSOVER MEAL.

The Lord’s Supper is a FORETASTE of the FEAST to come.

How do you prepare for the feast? COME TO HIS TABLE.

Verses Referenced: Exodus 12:11-14; Matthew 9:11-13; 1 Timothy 1:15; Matthew 22:2-10; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 25:6-9; Revelation 21:3-5

John 15:1-17 — pg. 1676

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”

Jesus uses FAMILIAR imagery for the people from the SCRIPTURES and their SURROUNDINGS.

What was TRUE in the days of Isaiah is EVEN MORE TRUE in the days of Jesus.

Martin Luther: “Christ wants to teach us to have a view of the affliction and suffering of Christians that is far different from what appears on the surface and before the world.”

Jesus is making a PROMISE. Jesus will be with you ALWAYS.

Consider the FRUIT of the faithful in the past, present, and future.

This is a WARNING. There are consequences for UNBELIEF.

All things are not good, but God WORKS for our good in all things.

It’s EASY to start to love. It’s HARD to keep on loving. Our love is how we are KNOWN.

Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks, The Other Half of Church: “JOY helps us regulate our emotions and endure suffering. Jesus refused to relinquish JOY in the midst of His suffering on the cross. When we are able to stay relationally connected to others and God, we experience joy while we suffer. JOY does not remove our pain, but it gives us the strength to endure.”

Your FRUIT is FROM God FOR others.

Verses Referenced: Isaiah 5:1-7; Galatians 5:19-23; Hebrews 12:11; Romans 5:3-5; Titus 3:5; Matthew 28:20; Luke 1:50; Romans 11:16-24; Romans 8:28; John 13:35; Mark 10:45; Romans 5:6-8; Matthew 5:16

“Do not let your hearts be TROUBLED.” - v. 7

The disciples context...our own context...it’s all troubling.

John 14:1-7

“I am the way, the truth, and the life...”

Is that a THREAT or a PROMISE?

The exclusive statement gets connected to a statement that reminds us that Jesus has enough ROOM for all of us.

You might even be SURPRISED by how much room there is in heaven.

“If you really KNOW me, you will KNOW my Father as well.” - v. 7

John 8:32

Freedom doesn’t come from INFORMATION, it comes from relationship with Jesus.

TRUTH is a person.

Jesus is not interested in you knowing THAT he died as historical fact.

Jesus is interested in you knowing he died FOR you.

Jesus is interested in you knowing HIM, not just about him.

Three practices:

What do you do when you DISAGREE with God? TELL Him.

MY will vs. THY will

Teach us to PRAY.

Jesus doesn’t need to be PHYSICALLY present to heal someone.

Jesus has POWER over death.

John 11 — Pg. 1668 Central issues of our text: DEATH and LIFE.

RC Lenski “God always sees the END from the BEGINNING.”

We should read John 11 through the LIFE-GIVING death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus wants something GREATER than physical healing for Lazarus, for Mary and Martha, and for us. Jesus is WITH us in our SUFFERING.

Jesus’ STATEMENT empowers His QUESTION and makes possible her ANSWER.

Jesus CONFRONTS the death of his friend as the One who lays his life down and picks it up again.

Jesus ENTERS death, CONQUERS it, and BANISHES it.

Lazarus HEARS the voice of his Good Shepherd. Everyone who RECOGNIZES His voice will RISE.

How do you RESPOND to the Resurrection and the Life?

May MY will become THY will.

Verses Referenced: Matthew 6:10; Matthew 26:38-39, 42, 44; The Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8); The Official’s Son (John 4) The Syrophoenician Woman’s Daughter (Matthew 15); The Ten Lepers (Luke 17); The Widow’s Son in Nain (Luke 7); Jairus’ Daughter (Luke 8); Luke 8:56; Hebrews 12:1-2; Mark 9:24; Psalm 34:18; Matthew 5:4; John 16:20; Romans 12:15

The world you once knew is CHANGED.

When the world changes it leads to: DISPLACEMENT

John 10:1-18

The sheep listen to his VOICE.

Another word for displacement: EXILES

We live in a HOSTILE environment with voices that are promoting your DISPLACEMENT.

“You don’t belong here.”

Ezekiel 34

The less familiar you are with the voice of Jesus, the more likely you are to follow a STRANGER.

Ezekiel 34:12 - “I will rescue them...”

Which category are you:

We live in enemy-occupied territory.

John 8:1-12

John is not content to just tell us WHAT happened. John wants something TO happen to you.

“These have been written that you may BELIEVE Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by BELIEVING you may have LIFE in His name.” - John 20:31

“Jesus said, I am the LIGHT of the WORLD. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

John 8:1-12 (pg. 1,661)

v.2 “At DAWN, Jesus appeared again in the TEMPLE courts, where all the PEOPLE GATHERED around Him, and He sat down and began to teach them.”

v.5 “In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do YOU say?”

v.7 “When they kept questioning Him, Jesus straightened up and said to them, If there is any among you who is WITHOUT SIN, let him be the FIRST to throw a stone at her.”

v.9 “At this, those who heard began to GO AWAY, one at time, the OLDER ones first, until only JESUS was left with the woman still standing there.”

v.10 “Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman where are they? Has no one CONDEMNED you?”

Is there no one here FORCING YOU to PAY for what you’ve DONE?

v.11 “Then Jesus said to her, NEITHER DO I condemn you. Go now, and LEAVE your life of SIN.”

Jesus’ tone was all about COMPASSION. He URGEED, He did not CONDEMN.

Sin KILLS things.

Jesus offered HIMSELF.

v.12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people He said, I am the LIGHT of the WORLD.”

I CAN show you the way FORWARD and I WILL show you the way OUT.

When someone is willing to DIE for you, you never have to question how they FEEL about you.

v.12 “Whoever follows ME, will never walk in DARKNESS, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE.”

John 6:1-69

The reason why John writes his Gospel:

“These have been written that you may BELIEVE Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by BELIEVING you may have LIFE in His name.” John 20:31

Perhaps the most misunderstood and misused words in all of Christianity are the words FAITH and BELIEVE.

As soon as the context is Jesus, the words FAITH and BELIEVE are often confused with HOPE.

John wants you to know, WHO Jesus is.

“Then Jesus declared, I am the BREAD of LIFE. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

John 6:2-69 (pg. 1,655)

v.2 “And a great crowd of people followed Jesus because they saw the MIRACULOUS SIGNS He had performed on the sick.”

v.5 “When Jesus looked up, He saw a great crowd coming toward Him, he said to Philip, Where shall we buy BREAD for these people to eat?”

v.15 “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by FORCE...”

Jesus would in fact lead His disciples through the gates of Jerusalem during passover. Not to be CORONATED but to be CRUCIFIED.

v.27 “Jesus said to them, Do not WORK for food that SPOILS, but for food that endures to ETERNAL life, which the Son of Man will GIVE you.”

v.33 “For the BREAD of GOD is the bread that comes down from Heaven and GIVES LIFE to the world.”

v.35 “I am the BREAD of LIFE. Whoever COMES to ME will never go hungry and whoever BELIEVES in ME will never be thirsty.”

v.40 “For my Father’s will is that everyone who LOOKS to the Son and BELIEVES in the SON shall have ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise them up, at the last day.”

ASH WEDNESDAY does not EXIST without EASTER.

Lent is not about what you DO but what Jesus has DONE and is STILL DOING.

Do you ever feel DISCONNECTED as if you’re a DIFFERENT person here than you are elsewhere?

Jesus is working to RECONNECT all of us to HIMSELF and to EACH OTHER.

God’s Law CONVICTS and GUIDES according to the Holy Spirit and our own SPIRITUAL condition.

We LEARN how to live by WATCHING others.

Stanley Hauerwas: “GOOD people help keep each other GOOD.”

Martin Luther: “Christ’s baptism is your baptism, and your baptism Christ’s baptism, and in the end there is only one baptism.”

We don’t get what we DESERVE, but what Jesus DELIVERS.

Martin Luther: “Sin, death, devil, and hell had taken us captive; but Christ has in turn taken them captive... He takes my captivity captive, intercepts my hangman, eliminates my sins, exterminates my death, damns my hell.”

Thomas Winger: “As a servant himself, Christ devotes all his energy to the growth of his body. The end result is a vitality of life that shows itself not in disunity, but in love. ‘In love’ qualifies not just a way of speaking, but a way of believing, confessing, and acting.”

How can we STRENGTHEN our faith for the days ahead?

Recommendation: Don’t GIVE UP something you love for Lent—SHARE it.

OFFER or ACCEPT an INVITATION.

You were MADE from dust, and to dust you will RETURN, but Jesus will RAISE this dust to everlasting life.

This Dust by Kip Fox

Verses referenced: Ephesians 4:1-16; 1 Corinthians 12:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Romans 6:3-4; Matthew 3:17; Luke 6:38; Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 11:28; Acts 2:46-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; Romans 8:18

Revelation 21:1-7, 22:17

God’s Story of Redemption through the lives of nine people:

Is what we’ve been asked to wait for, WORTH WAITING for?

God ISN’T satisfied with the status quo either.

Revelation is a book of PROPHECY.

DOUBT is the natural response to prophecy.

Prophecy always elicits HOPE.

Revelation 21:1-7 pg. 1,937

v.1 “Then I saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth, for the FIRST heaven and the first earth had PASSED away, and there was no longer any SEA.”

v.3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, NOW the dwelling of God is with His people, and He will live WITH them. They will be His PEOPLE and God HIMSELF will be with them and be there God.”

v.4 “He will WIPE every TEAR from their eyes. There will be no more DEATH or MOURNING or CRYING or PAIN, for the OLD order of things has passed AWAY.”

v.5 “He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything NEW! Then He said, write this down for these WORDS are TRUSTWORTHY and TRUE.”

v.7 “And the one who OVERCOMES will inherit all of this and I will be their God and they will be MY child.”

“The Spirt and the bride say, Come! And let whoever hears say, Come! WHOEVER is THIRSTY let them come; and whoever wishes, let them take the FREE GIFT of the water of LIFE.” Revelation 22:17