Even witnesses can’t convince us to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord while we are enslaved to sin. Jesus came into the world as the Father's true Witness to set us free from our slavery so that we might believe in Him and be saved. 

C. H. Spurgeon (1834-92), the English pastor called "the prince of preachers" is arguably one of the most effective preachers in the history of the church. For an excellent introductory talk to his life follow this link: https://bcsmn.edu/archive-video/spurgeon-christian-life/

Spurgeon has two wonderful sermons on John 5:40, which can be read online at www.spurgeon.org/sermons. In the first one, preached when he was only 21 years-old  called “Free Will a Slave,” he develops four points:

(1) Men by nature are dead.

(2) In Christ Jesus there is life.

(3) Eternal life is given to all who come for it.

(4) By nature, no man will come to Christ, because they are unwilling. On this last point, he explains that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).

He argues that no true Christian will say that he came to Christ of his own free will apart from God’s first seeking him and drawing him to the Savior.  Hear Spurgeon

J. C. Ryle (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels) points out five distinctive features of Jesus’ miracles:

(1) Their number: they were not a few only but very many indeed.

(2) Their greatness: they were not little but mighty interferences with the ordinary course of nature.

(3) Their publicity: they were generally not done in a corner but in open day, and before many witness and often before enemies.

(4) Their character: they were almost always works of love, mercy, and compassion, helpful and beneficial to man and not mere barren exhibitions of power.

(5) Their direct appeal to men’s senses: they were visible and would bear any examination.

1. Identify the witness of which Jesus speaks in this passage.
2. In v 34, what are “these things” and why does Jesus say them?
3. What does it mean to have “his word abiding in you” (v 38)?
4. What is the difference between finding eternal life in the Scriptures versus what (Whom) they point to?
5. Despite the signs, why do the Pharisees refuse to come to Jesus (v 40)?
6. In what sense does Jesus not receive “glory” from people (v 41)? Where does he get it?
7. What do the Pharisees really seek (v 44)?
8. Where did Moses write of Jesus (v 46)?

1. Why are witnesses important in making a claim?
2. What are the “witnesses” we can point to when people ask for a “reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15)? (For more apologetics, see the latest blog post.)
3. How do you respond to an intellectual objection to Christianity when the root issue is always a “heart” problem (v 40)?
4. Luke 24:7 says, ““And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” How would reading the Old Testament with this in mind change the way we read it?
5. In what ways do you seek glory from other people?
6. When you “search the Scriptures,” what is it you are looking for?

Jesus Christ’s clear and outstanding claims to be God demand that we worship Him as God and submit to Him as Lord.

You’ve probably heard it been said that Jesus never claimed to be God. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons hold Jesus in high esteem and even claim to believe in Him, but they deny His true deity. There are many others who think that Jesus was a great moral teacher and example, but they do not affirm that He is God. Listen to what C.S Lewis responds to these notions:

Jesus' speech claiming his deity flowed from a conflict with the Pharisees over the healing miracle that he performed on the Sabbath day -  just a few days prior. But why did the Pharisees consider it wrong for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath? D.A. Carson explains: 

1. Why were the Jews angered that Jesus used the term “My Father” (v 17)?
2. In what sense was the Father “working until now” (v 17)?
3. How did Jesus’ understanding of the Sabbath differ from the understanding of the Jews persecuting him?
4. What does this text say about the ways the Father and Son are equal?
5. What divine power does Jesus have?
6. Based on this passage, on what basis will the Son of Man render the judgment of v 29?
7. How are the dead able to hear the voice of the Son of God?
8. Whom is given life?
9. In his judgment, whose will is Jesus seeking?

The New City Catechism Q&A 3 asks: How many persons are there in God? Answer:

1. Why does the orthodox Christian tradition hold that is it important to believe that Jesus is equal with God, and eternally “begotten, not made” (Nicene Creed)?
2. To someone who might like Jesus’ teachings but not trust in him as their Savior, how would you engage them with this text?
3. What kinds of things should we not do on the Sabbath?
4. Why should we not work on the Sabbath? (See New City Catechist, Q&A 10)
5. What does Jesus’ intimacy with his Father tell us about the benefits of the gospel?

"Before the Throne of God Above"

The third "sign" in John's Gospel displays Jesus Christ's power to save those who are spiritually helpless and hopeless - by the power of His Word.

1. Describe the scene at the pool.
2. Why did Jesus seek out this man?
3. Why might John have included the detail of 38 years (v 5)?
4. How did Jesus “know” the man had been there a long time (v 6)?
5. How did Jesus heal the man, and how does it contrast with the pool?
6. What do Jesus’ words of “sin no more” (v 14) suggest about the man’s healing?

1. What are some of the modern “pools of healing” people visit?
2. What from the text suggests how God heals us and make us new creations?
3. Is our suffering due to personal sin?
4. For people who have been healed/forgiven in Christ, what is the proper attitude towards sin?
5. In a quotation above, Thomas Watson said, “Be more afraid of sin than of suffering.” Do you agree? Of which are you more afraid, and why?

"Heal Us, Emmanuel" - Indelible Grace

The man's crisis lead to his lesson in true faith in Jesus Christ: resulting not only in physical life for his son but everlasting life for him and his entire household.

It was crucial that those who were involved in the Protestant Reformation carefully define what they meant by saving faith. So they went back and did their studies in the New Testament, specifically on the Greek word pistein, which means “to believe,” and they were able to isolate three distinctive aspects of biblical faith.

The first is the Latin term notitia: “believing in the data” or the information. It’s an intellectual awareness. You can’t have faith in nothing; there has to be content to the faith. You have to believe something or trust someone. When we say that a person is saved by faith, some people say, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, just as long as you are sincere.” That’s not what the Bible teaches. It matters profoundly what you believe. What if I believed that the devil was God? That wouldn’t save me. I must believe the right information.

The second aspect of faith is what they call assensus, or intellectual assent. I must be persuaded of the truthfulness of the content. According to James, even if I am aware of the work of Jesus—convinced intellectually that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for my sins, and that he rose from the dead—I would at that point qualify to be a demon. The demons recognize Jesus, and the devil himself knows the truth of Christ, but he doesn’t have saving faith.

The crucial, most vital element of saving faith in the biblical sense, is that of personal trust. The final term is fiducia, referring to a fiduciary commitment by which I put my life in the lap of Jesus. I trust him and him alone for my salvation. That is the crucial element, and it includes the intellectual and the mental. But it goes beyond it to the heart and to the will so that the whole person is caught up in this experience we call faith.

The above text is extracted from an article by R.C. Sproul called "What Does it Mean to Believe?" Published at www.ligonier.org

1. Why did the Galileans welcome Jesus?
2. What does the social status of the official suggest about his request from Jesus?
3. What point is Jesus making about “signs and wonders” and belief?
4. What does the official “believe” in v 50? Does this belief change in v 53?
5. Before the official obeyed by “going on his way,” he first believed. What’s significant about that order?
6. What do Jesus’ signs (v 54) accomplish?

1. What about your social status could make it difficult to recognize your need of Jesus?
2. What other temptations toward self-sufficiency (in place of faith and dependence on God) exist in your current circumstances?
3. Why should we be persistent in prayer? (read the passages in point 2 of the sermon)
4. What is the relationship between faith and obedience?
5. If God decides to not answer a prayer as we see fit, how should this affect our praying and obedience?
6. Jesus was perfectly humble, persistent, and obedient all his life. Where did this take him at the end?
7. What do we expect the results in this life to be of our faithful obedience to God?

You cannot find Christianity credible without first honestly asking if the resurrection of Jesus really happened.

Thomas, in our text, reinforces to us that the Bible never asks us to put our faith in something untrue. But he also shows us that faith is more than belief in what is true; it is a God-given ability to believe and to trust him.

For something to be credible (from the Latin word believe), we must have sufficient grounds for believing it. Sometimes it may just mean that we can’t believe it because it is not true. But sometimes we use the word “incredible" to describe something that is so amazing and extraordinary that we have difficulty believing it to be true – even though it is. When we talk about the incredible Easter story we mean exactly that: the story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is amazing and wonderful, yet completely true. 

Not convinced? Start by reading the 4 biblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for yourself:

• Matthew 28
• Mark 16
• Luke 24
• John 20

If your small group is meeting this week, we encourage you to choose from a few options by what works best for your group:

1. Have general discussion about the sermon and its text, pointing out whatever you found illuminating or challenging. 
2. Discuss the blog post on the importance of character in the Christian life and how the gospel shapes it. 
3. Use last week's sermon study.
4. Spend more/most of the time in prayer for one another, the church, and UCC missionaries.

Jesus has entrusted to his entire church the responsibility of sowing and reaping an eternal harvest of sinners reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Charles Spurgeon when preaching on today's passage said the following to his congregation. (Note: Spurgeon's remarks were to his church in his day and we should not them take them directly as our own. Nonetheless, his comments are both interesting and challenging in a general way.)

“Some of you good people ... would be a good deal better Christians if you would look after the poor and needy around you. If you would just tuck up your sleeves for work, and go and tell the Gospel to dying men, you would find your spiritual health mightily restored, for very much of the sickness of Christians comes through their having nothing to do. All feeding and no working makes men spiritual dyspeptics. Be idle, careless, with nothing to live for, nothing to care for, no sinner to pray for, no backslider to lead back to the cross, no trembler to encourage, no little child to tell of a Savior, no grey-headed man to enlighten in the things of God, no object, in fact, to live for; and who wonders if you begin to groan, and to murmur, and to look within, until you are ready to die of despair?” [Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, volume 55, p. 128] 

It is from passages such as todays that theologians develop what is called Jesus’ “active obedience.” What is meant by this is that Jesus begins to point the disciples ahead to the cross, the ultimate purpose of His mission on earth and act of obedience he must accomplish. This is because his death upon the cross is indespensible for salvation from the wrath of God and rescuing from the guilt and power of sin. Like Jesus, we cannot be saved if Jesus does not obey God’s will perfectly in his thinking, doing, and speaking, and so on. Jesus must fulfill all righteousness through his own personal obedience to God’s law (“active obedience”) so that his righteousness (his perfect obedience) can be imputed to us through the means of faith. Jesus’ obedience to the will of God is the foundation for the doctrine of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone. Through faith in Jesus Christ, his obedience to the will of God becomes ours.

The Good News is our Bible tell us Jesus was perfectly obedient and he finished his mission at the cross making salvation available to us! What a wonderful incentive to "go" and tell those who have not heard what Christ has done for you. 

1. Why might the people in the town (v 28) be surprised by the woman’s eager invitation (v 29)?
2. What exactly is she inviting them to do?
3. Why might her testimony have been compelling?
4. What does Jesus mean by “food” in vv 32 and 34?
5. Paraphrase v 34 in your own words.
6. What are the “fields” referring to in v 35?
7. What does Jesus mean by “sowing” and “reaping”?
8. According to vv 39-42, what caused the Samaritans to believe?

1. How does Jesus’ sustenance and purpose stated in v 34 relate to our (the church’s) sustenance and purpose?
2. What should be our motivation for sharing our testimony, for sowing and reaping?
3. Are there certain elements that we should include in our testimony? If so, what are they?
4. If you think you have not shared your testimony enough, what do you think are your heart’s motivations that have prevented you from doing so?
5. Think of three people (non-Christians) with whom you would love to share your testimony. Pray for them, for opportunities to share, and for any fears you may have.

If you have never shared your testimony (either with Christians or non-Christians), consider thinking it through, using the following:

Your Story is God’s Story: Creating Your Testimony (CRU)

Your Testimony Isn't About You (Desiring God)

Acts 26

For a (short) book-length overview of personal evangelism generally, see Mark Dever's The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (PDF version, or ask from UCC staff).

A classic testimony, given in verse form:

This week, Gary will be sharing with us at all three UCC sites. 

Gary is a missionary with Operation Mobilization and the author of Total Abandon.

A. He came to restore relationship.

B. He came to restore creation.

C. It was planned before the foundation of the world.

In place of a small group study based on the sermon this week, we encourage you to read the most recent UCC blog post, "Getting Back to the Cross," which has discussion questions at the end. You may also use last week's sermon study on the Gospel of John

There is no other water that can satisfy your soul and keep you from dying of thirst than the drink that Christ alone offers you with his gift of living water. 

In The Silver Chair from the Narnia series, C.S. Lewis tells about a young girl, Jill Pole, who has just entered the land of Narnia and finds herself lost, alone, and very thirsty. Fortunately she finds a stream, but before drinking she is stopped dead in her tracks by a Lion, Aslan, who is a Christ-type figure in the books (but Jill had not met him yet). Lewis writes:

"But although the sight of water made her feel ten times thirstier than before, she didn’t rush forward and drink. She stood as still as if she had been turned into stone, with her mouth wide open. And she had a very good reason: just on this side of the stream lay the lion.

…“If I run away, it’ll be after me in a moment,” thought Jill. “And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth.” Anyway, she couldn’t have moved if she had tried, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first.

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
“May I — could I — would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl.
…The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to – do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
…“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.
It never occurred to Jill to disbelieve the Lion – no one who had seen his stern face could do that – and her mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do, but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. You didn’t need to drink much of it, for it quenched your thirst at once."

In Narnia, there is no stream other than Aslan’s that can keep one from dying of thirst. In this world, Christ alone offers us eternal life through His gift of living 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…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” - John 4:10, 14

Draw your answers from the text.

1. What are the two things the woman at the well should have known to get living water (v 10)?
2. What is the relationship between water and life (v 14)?
3. Why do you think Jesus avoids answering her questions directly?
4. What is Jesus trying to do in vv 16-18?
5. What makes the woman think Jesus is a prophet?
6. What is “the hour” to which Jesus refers in v 23? Where else in the Gospel of John does Jesus refer to the hour?
7. How is salvation “from the Jews” (v 22)?
8. What in this passage suggests what it could mean to worship the Father in “spirit and truth” (v 23)?
9. What kind of being is God, and what are the implications for our worship (v 24)?

1. What are some signs of experiencing spiritual thirst?
2. How would you describe your spiritual thirst right now?
3. Once we have our spiritual thirst quenched by Christ’s living water, do we still experience the same kind of thirst? Or is it different? Consider Psalm 42:1.
4. If someone came to you and asked where they could find “living water” (or other variants of the question), how might you answer based on this passage?

"Living Waters"

Christ's example compels us and His Sprit empowers us to have a heart willing, even when we are weary, to cross all divides to love like He did. 

David Brainerd (1718-1747), a missionary to the American Indians, has become one of the most influential missionaries of all time despite only lasting for three years: "only eternity will reveal how many fires of evangelistic zeal have been lit by the perusal of the account of [David Brainerd's] short but powerful ministry." His influence is owed to the personal journal that he left behind which was published after his death (by the famous preacher Jonathan Edwards) that tells of the hardships he endured and the barriers he crossed in order to reach people for Christ, as Christ modelled for Him. The following quote comes from His diary and were some of the last words he wrote before dying at the age of 29:

" It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God Himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will."

Jonathan Edwards wrote the following challenging prayer in the forward of Brainerd's diary for its publication: "May the Lord of the harvest send forth other laborers into this part of His harvest, that those who sit in darkness may see great light, and that the whole earth may be filled with the knowledge of Himself! Amen."

1. Describe the Jews’ relationship to the Samaritans at this time.
2. Jesus “had to pass through Samaria” (v 4). Why do you think it was necessary?
3. What, besides v 8, might explain why Jesus ended up alone at this well?
4. What can we infer about Jesus’ identity from the description in v 6?
5. What kinds of human barriers does Jesus break in this interaction?

1. What kinds of people are the rough equivalent of Samaritans for us?
2. What are some of the most obvious barriers you have in your social interactions (age, profession, race, etc)?
3. In light of the two previous questions, discuss the implications of the sermon text and Galatians 3:28 for us today.
4. What are some habits of yours which may be inhibiting opportunities to be available to Others?
5. What are some of the challenges you see to making space in the schedule and being “present”?
6. Are there reasonable limits we should put on our availability to others? If so, describe them.

We are the true “Others”—separated justly from God by our sin—and Jesus has broken that barrier for us. May the Spirit now lead us in welcoming the Others around us.

"He must increase, but I must decrease.”

In our text, we are struck how John (the Baptist) was clear about was in the presence of Christ.

John Calvin begins his Institutes with the profound sentence, “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”

John McNeill, the editor, comments, “These decisive words set the limits of Calvin’s theology and condition every subsequent statement.” Calvin expounds on our knowledge of ourselves: “It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself.” He goes on to say that pride is innate in us all and cannot be dealt with until we look to the Lord.

Can you say with John: "He must increase, but I must decrease"?

(Note: Try to answer these questions by drawing primarily on the text itself.)

1. Jesus and his disciples are baptizing people, as is John the Baptist (vv 22-23). What is the difference between their baptisms?
2. How did John’s disciples react to Jesus’ crowds and baptisms?
3. Why do you think John responded to their comments with the words in v 27?
4. Describe John’s role and heart posture in the Jewish wedding metaphor he uses (v 29).
5. When John says “I must decrease,” what exactly does John believe must decrease?
6. What does this text tell us about the source of John’s humility and contentment?

1. Why do we often find it difficult to rejoice in the gifts and success of others?
2. What are some of the ways we see a competitive spirit in contemporary churches and their members?
3. What are some ways you struggle to be content in your life?
4. How does knowing everything we receive is from heaven change how we view our gifts in comparison to others?
5. To combat envy, think of some people or organizations (at work, school, other ministries, etc.) whom you could pray for.
6. What are some ways you personally feel you need to “decrease” and rejoice more in Christ and his accomplishments?

"My Worth Is Not In What I Own"