Vintage Grace's Podcast

David & Andrea walk through John 4:43-5:15 to help lead meaningful discussions about the text. 

Exegetical Tools: 

• Our goal is to ask the right questions about the text
• Good exegetical questions fall into two categories: 

1) Questions of Content (What is said) 

2) Questions of Context (Why it is said) 

• Geography reveals clues about the meaning of the text--why is Jesus going to certain towns/places to carry out his divine mission
• Signs-The Why Behind The What--what are the signs revealing to us about God? About the hearts of those who ask for a sign? 
• Questions For Application: 
  • What do the 2nd & 3rd signs of Christ in the book fo John reveal to us about His identity and mission? 
  • What is John revealing to us through the narrative of opposite responses of either accepting Christ (like the royal official) or rejecting Him (the religious leaders).
  • What does Christ’s question to the paraylzed man reveal about his heart? (Do you want to get well?)
  • Personal reflection: Do I know that I am sick? (i.e. am I continually living in a place of desperate dependence on Christ?) 

John records these next miracles and we start to see the pattern unfold as people move from Miracle to Controversy to Decision: do they receive or reject?  As Jesus decides when and who and where to heal, it is clear that his decision is to follow the will of the Father—John then asks us to consider: what will be our decision?

David and Jesse walk through John 4:1-42 to help you lead meaningful discussions about the text

Guiding Questions:
What is God inviting me into?
Where is God calling me to be faithful, despite discomfort?

Standard Narrative Questions:
What happened?
Why here?
What does John want us to know/feel/do?

Summary Statement: This week we look at John 4 and the woman at the well. Though this woman had a messy life and looked for the good life in all the wrong places, Jesus brings her hope of restoration and soul-satisfaction.

GUIDING QUESTIONS:

• What happened, Why Here, What does John want us to know feel do?

(Go to 31-36 for the know feel do part in particular because that the the takeaway John has for us from the brief exchange between JB, his disciples, and the Jews.)

• How were John’s disciples measuring success?  How was John measuring success?  
• Why is John happy that Jesus is gaining a greater following?
• In John the Baptist's analogy there are three characters, the bride, the groom and the friend of the groom who stands with him.  Which one is John?  Which one is Jesus?  Whose is the bride? 
• Trace the logic and flow of 31-36. What is the author saying about Jesus? How is this similar to 3:16-21? What does John want us to know about Jesus in 31-36? How does this contribute to your understanding of belief so far in John?

BIG IDEA:
Jesus is better than any human system of success especially in the context of eternal (the “good”) life.

APPLICATION:

• At the end of your life, what would need to have happened for you to be able to say, "I lived the 'good' life"?
• Humans struggle to get off the throne of their heart in part due to their own inflated Ego, how do you think you might be better than you actually are?  What strengths of your own may actually get in the way of putting Jesus on the throne and distort your view of “the good life?

Summary Statement: The paradox ‘less is more’ is clearly seen in John the Baptist.  He understood and experienced the reality that we find MORE joy in thinking LESS of ourselves and seeing Jesus.  Like John the Baptist we must:

• Resist the temptation to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. (#Humility)
• Understand our position. (#Humility)
• Celebrate our role. (#JOY!)

Michael and Ryan walk through John 3:16-21 to help you lead meaningful discussions about the text

References to God's Plan for the World:
Gen 12:2 Gen 17:4-6; Gen 22:18; Gen 26:4; 1Chron 16:31; Psalm 2:8; Psalm 22:27

Standard Narrative Questions:
What happened?
Why here?
What does John want us to know/feel/do?

Guiding Questions:
What's surprising about the idea that God loves the whole world?
Would Nicodemus agree or disagree with Jesus's statement?
Israel, who was called God's son, is being contrasted with Jesus, God's only son. Why did God  send his son Jesus?
How is this message to John's readers?

Big Idea:
Jesus is the only son of God sent for all people.
Belief in him means life.

Application Questions:
What does this text demand of us this week? (God loved the dumpster fire...)

Michael and Ryan walk through John 3:1-15 to help you lead meaningful discussions about the text

Guiding Questions:

• What barriers does Nicodemus have to belief?
• Jews like Nicodemus believed they were saved by their heritage, how is what Jesus said about being born again different from that?
• What is John trying to say about Jesus by recording him referencing Daniel 7:13-14?
• Read Numbers 21:4-9 as a group. John records Jesus allegorizing this narrative in 3:1-15, what do the following elements represent; snakes, stick, bronze serpent? What was Jesus trying to get Nicodemus to understand about his mission?
• What is essential to belief in Jesus?

Big Idea:

• Believe in Jesus and have life.

Application Questions:

•  What barriers are in the way of you seeing Jesus as the “good” life?
•  Where do you look for the “good” life?
•  What’s something you used to look to for the “good” life but now you look to Jesus?
• What’s something right now that you’re willing to admit you’ve been looking to for the good life that is not Jesus?