Personal Retreat
Hey Leaders,
As i was thinking. I asked myself what is the one thing we should be focusing on, in this ministry. I came to the conclusion that it is about us as a community experiencing God together. How we are always praying and sharing the joy that God has placed in our hearts to our kids. Not cause we are leaders, but rather cause we are also children of God and we want our kids to experience that same joy that we feel as well.
This week God has shown me, break through after break through of how he will release people from the underlying hurts, chains of sin and walls of pride. As such that they can come to enjoy him. I think many of our youths are still admiring God and do not know that they can both admire and enjoy him. I dont know how many of them enjoy their time with the Lord.
Sooo it is my hope and prayer that we should always be pressing towards that goal. That one day, our kids will experience way more (abundantly more) than what we enjoy today. Oh ofcourse that we dont be contented with what we have and greedily ask God for more intimacy with him.
This is the flow im thinking of.
1) worship (10 mins) (3 songs)
2) personal time with the lord. They can go where ever they want in acjc. Material will be given ( 30 mins)
3) Sharing and praying for one another. The youths will be paired together (15 mins) (no leaders)
4) praying for individuals, leaders will pray for the youths (10 mins)
5) Close in worship (2 songs)
6) Pizza at the canteen, more sharing about the materials and the youths' lives with the leaders.
Sounds good?
John Chapter 12: 1-50
Learning points:
- God might work contrary to ways we expect but we must still acknowledge His is the sovereign Lord that knows all things.
- We must choose to fear God and not men and remain faithful as workers.
Read John 12:1-11
Background:
We see that the account of Mary’s anointing of her Lord is also found in Matt 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9. But it must definitely not be confused with the account given in Luke 7:36-50, where a former harlot had anointed Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee. This is because Mary was a virtuous woman she anointed Jesus in the house of Simon (who was the former leper) of whom we saw in Mark 14:3. The Luke 7 event had taken place in Galilee, while the account that we are now considering occurred in Judea. It is no surprise that there are two “Simons” involved in both stories as Simon was a very common name in that day.
So..
Jesus was well aware of the fact that the Jewish leaders were out to arrest Him and kill Him, but He still returned to Bethany only two miles from where His enemies were at.
Why do you think so?
Perhaps to spend some quiet time with His dear friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
If you were at the dinner that day, who do you think you would be?
Martha (the worker)? Mary (the extravagant worshipper)? Lazarus (the living evidence of Jesus’s power) or Judas (the traitor)?
In what manner did Mary pour the perfume?
v3 Mary did it with her own hands she could have simply ordered one of her servants to have done it. She did not, as usual, anoint his head with it, but instead she anointed his feet. True love, as it does not spare charges, so it does not spare pains, in honouring Christ. Considering what Christ has done and suffered for us, we are very ungrateful if we think any service too hard to do, or too mean to stoop to, whereby he may really be glorified!
The result of her act caused the house to be filled with the fragrance of the perfume, not only that Jesus even said that the blessing of her deed would even be spread all around the world and be a blessing to others who will hear of this centuries to come (Matt 26:13; Mark14:9).
However, as we see later, this was met with criticism by Judas.
But we ask ourselves, what was his intention for questioning her actions?
v6 Note to how Judas feigned caring for the poor. Judas cared for no one but himself and used the poor to cover his greed. Selfishness and pride are most evil sins. Judas loved the world and the things of the world.Hence we are clearly told to do otherwise in (1 John 2:15)
Jesus’s response to Judas:
Jesus rebuked Judas for his objecting to Mary's compassionate act. His statement about Mary's anointing His feet for His coming burial was referring to the custom of the Jews to put spices and ointment on the dead for embalming.
Jesus had persistently mentioned His coming death. After His transfiguration Jesus instructed His disciples not to tell of the vision they had seen until He was risen from the dead. (Matt. 17:9, 22-23)
Mark also records that Jesus explained to His disciples that He would be betrayed , killed and He would rise on the third day. (Mark9:31)
Luke records that after Jesus cast the demon from the child in which the disciples had failed to do, He said to them, when they marveled at His power, (Luke 9:44) Verse 45 states that the disciples did not understand what Jesus was telling them, but we know that after His resurrection what He said came back to their minds and the then understood.
Jesus' statement concerning the poor always being with them was not against charity, but rather was said to bring attention to closeness of His betrayal and death. We see that Mary was the only one who understood what was happening and this seems to have prompted her to anoint His feet. To his disciples, who did not understand the situation, Jesus commended Mary. Again we are reminded of what Jesus said in Mark 14:9 and Matt 26:13.
The disciples, who were the closest to Him, missed the significance of her act.
Would we as children of God be sooo caught up with so much doing and serving that we miss the main message that God is trying to tell us daily?
Read 12:12-19
Note: the 3 different crowds that were out there
1) The Passover visitors from outside Judea (John 12:18)
2) Local people who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus (John 12:17)
3) Religious leaders who were greatly concerned about what Jesus might do at the feast (John 12:19)
What do you think these the people in the crowd actually expected Jesus to do?
Incite a revolution? Establish Himself as King of Kings? Defeat the Romans and set the nation of Israel free?
There was great expectation that now finally, they would see Jesus demonstrate His great power and take charge of ruling the nation. Israel would be restored to its former glory and the nation would prosper as the Messiah brought peace by destroying their enemies, ruling with a rod of iron. (Psa. 2:9, 29:11, 72:1-20)
However, today we look back at these events and see the tragedy of what their unbelief brought upon them. In their short sightedness they sought only a temporal peace and restoration when Jesus was offering then an eternal one. Jesus said "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew6:33) Jesus was offering them the promised kingdom, the kingdom of God, but they only wanted a worldly one.
Read John 12:20-36
Background:
Philip's name was Greek and he was from Galilee the area of Israel where Greek culture prevailed and their language spoken. These were Gentiles who believed God and surely had studied the Old Testament. They too knew of the promises concerning the Messiah and the promised kingdom. They came wanting to inquire of Jesus personally about His being the Messiah. Philip told Andrew of the Greeks inquiry and they both went to Jesus.
What do you think Jesus meant in v24-25?
Jesus' response revealed what was about to happen. He responded with the illustration of a grain of wheat, stating if the seed did not fall into the ground and die it would not produce fruit. Clearly, He was speaking of Himself. The Greeks may have, like the Jews, thought that Jesus was presenting Himself as the civil Redeemer of Israel who would conquer the Romans. However, Jesus did not speak of His forming an army or beginning a great civil conquest, but rather that He would soon die. Those that would follow and serve Him, He said if they loved their life they would lose it, and if they lost their life for His sake they would find it. What does it mean for us then?
As children of God we are all like seeds. They might seem small and insignificant but they have life in them, God’s life. However, that life cannot be fulfilled unless we yield ourselves to him and permit him to “plant” us. In order to do that we must first die to ourselves and live unto Him (Gal 2:20). Jesus is therefore challenging us to surrender our lives to him today so that we can be used mightily by our master.
Read John 12:37-50
NLT version:
The Unbelief of the People
37 But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:
“Lord, who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?”[a]
39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,
40 “The Lord has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts—
so that their eyes cannot see,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and have me heal them.”[b]
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
Footnotes:
a. 12:38 Isa 53:1.
So do you personally believe that Jesus is the Messiah? How would you respond to your friends / family / co workers who are skeptical about your experience with God?
Even Jesus had to deal with skeptics, despite the fact that he had performed many miracles some people would not believe that he was the messiah. But as John writes, Isaiah predicted that people would not believe. This is hard to imagine since Jesus had just performed one of the most amazing miracles in the previous chapter which was raising Lazarus from the dead. We have to understand that there would just be some people who would never believe even though the facts might be undeniable.
So as we know that skepticism towards Jesus’s identity has always been the rule and not the exception. Most people that we speak to might not believe our witness about Christ. But does that mean we should not speak about him? Did Jesus stop preaching to the people or healing when they did not think he was the Messiah and was criticizing him in all that he was doing? In the same way, we must learn to be like him, to be faithful to the task his father set out for him regardless how the people responded.
There is quite a fair bit to cover in this lesson but I believe all of the lessons being taught here in John chapter 12 are very important lessons that Christ wants to teach us today but I pray that as leaders of your various groups you would know your sheep better and I pray that you would be guided by the spirit to speak forth about what they need most at this point in time.
End with a time of sharing about ways God has worked contrary to their expectations, instances they find difficult to fear God instead of men.
Pray for one another.
John 11
Dear leaders,
May the Word of God pierce our hearts, dividing soul and spirit, and discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. May the Spirit open our eyes to see the living Word, our Lord Jesus, that as we grow in the knowledge of God, we may draw closer to him in love. Amen.
Learning Points:
1) God's mysterious yet powerful love for us.
2) Jesus has overcome
Background:
1) God's mysterious yet powerful love for us
Read verses: 5 to 6
v5-6 "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."
It is clear that Jesus loved this family. Yet, his actions seemed to contradict this.
God's love is not a pampering love; it is a perfecting one.
God loved his own Son, but permitted him to drink the cup of sorrow and endure his divine wrath upon the cross. We must not think love and suffering to be incompatible. They unite in Jesus.
Read verses 11 to 15
v11-13 The disciples misunderstand Jesus when he says that Lazarus has fallen asleep.
v14-15 "Then Jesus told them plainly, 'Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'"
v21, 32 Both Martha and Mary believed that Jesus had the power to heal.
So what did Jesus want them to believe? (v15)v25, 42 Who Jesus is. He is the resurrection and the life, the Son of God sent by his Father. Jesus has brought to light what life and immortality are. 2 Timothy 1:8-11
v4, 40 The glory of God.
v4 side note: cf John 9:3
The ultimate result would not be death, but the glory of God.
For the greater purpose of revealing His glory to His people, God allowed temporary pain, the death of Lazarus. The pain, however, might not have seemed temporary or of a small magnitude. Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived. (v39)
It is not that Jesus did not care for the people, for Lazarus or his sisters. It is precisely because he loved him that he delayed his arrival that they may see the glory of God.
Further, we see Jesus being deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled when he saw Mary weeping (v34) and wept with her (v35).
"Oh, how many people today ― even Christians ― would murmur at Jesus for callously letting Lazarus die and putting him and Mary and Martha and others through the pain and misery of those days. And if people today saw that this was motivated by Jesus' desire to magnify the glory of God, how many would call this harsh or unloving! What this shows is how far above the glory of God most people value pain-free lives. ... Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever. Love keeps God central. Because the soul was made for God. ... Jesus is the one being for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act. This is because the most satisfying reality we could ever know is Jesus. So to give us that reality, He must give us Himself. ... Divine love labors and suffers to enthrall us with what is infinitely and eternally satisfying: God in Christ. That we might see His glory ― for that He let Lazarus die, and for that He went to the cross.” John Piper, Pierced by the Word
What does this mean for us?
We may not always understand why God allows certain things to happen in our lives, nor can we always see his love for us in every situation. We can, however, still trust in his love for us, for
May the Word of God pierce our hearts, dividing soul and spirit, and discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. May the Spirit open our eyes to see the living Word, our Lord Jesus, that as we grow in the knowledge of God, we may draw closer to him in love. Amen.
Learning Points:
1) God's mysterious yet powerful love for us.
2) Jesus has overcome
Background:
1) God's mysterious yet powerful love for us
Read verses: 5 to 6
v5-6 "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was."
It is clear that Jesus loved this family. Yet, his actions seemed to contradict this.
God's love is not a pampering love; it is a perfecting one.
God loved his own Son, but permitted him to drink the cup of sorrow and endure his divine wrath upon the cross. We must not think love and suffering to be incompatible. They unite in Jesus.
Read verses 11 to 15
v11-13 The disciples misunderstand Jesus when he says that Lazarus has fallen asleep.
v14-15 "Then Jesus told them plainly, 'Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'"
v21, 32 Both Martha and Mary believed that Jesus had the power to heal.
So what did Jesus want them to believe? (v15)v25, 42 Who Jesus is. He is the resurrection and the life, the Son of God sent by his Father. Jesus has brought to light what life and immortality are. 2 Timothy 1:8-11
v4, 40 The glory of God.
v4 side note: cf John 9:3
The ultimate result would not be death, but the glory of God.
For the greater purpose of revealing His glory to His people, God allowed temporary pain, the death of Lazarus. The pain, however, might not have seemed temporary or of a small magnitude. Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived. (v39)
It is not that Jesus did not care for the people, for Lazarus or his sisters. It is precisely because he loved him that he delayed his arrival that they may see the glory of God.
Further, we see Jesus being deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled when he saw Mary weeping (v34) and wept with her (v35).
"Oh, how many people today ― even Christians ― would murmur at Jesus for callously letting Lazarus die and putting him and Mary and Martha and others through the pain and misery of those days. And if people today saw that this was motivated by Jesus' desire to magnify the glory of God, how many would call this harsh or unloving! What this shows is how far above the glory of God most people value pain-free lives. ... Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever. Love keeps God central. Because the soul was made for God. ... Jesus is the one being for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act. This is because the most satisfying reality we could ever know is Jesus. So to give us that reality, He must give us Himself. ... Divine love labors and suffers to enthrall us with what is infinitely and eternally satisfying: God in Christ. That we might see His glory ― for that He let Lazarus die, and for that He went to the cross.” John Piper, Pierced by the Word
What does this mean for us?
We may not always understand why God allows certain things to happen in our lives, nor can we always see his love for us in every situation. We can, however, still trust in his love for us, for
i) he has declared by his word which is pure (Proverbs 30:5) and everlasting (Psalm 119:89, Isaiah
40:8) that he loves us (Jeremiah 31:3);
ii) he demonstrated and proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6, 8)
We must live by faith and not by sight. We trust that his grace is sufficient for us in our weakness, that the Spirit intercedes for us and helps us in our weakness. When we go through trials, we cling to the Word of God, and look to Jesus. (Hebrews 12)
2) Jesus has overcome
Victory is won
If Jesus Christ can do nothing about death, then whatever else he can do amounts to nothing. "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:19 But praise be to God! Jesus is risen. Continue reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-32
Hebrews 2:14-18
The fear of death keeps us in bondage throughout our lives, but Jesus has overcome death.
“For do you not know it was from the side of Jesus that Death sucked its death. Jesus did hang upon the cross, and Death thought to get the victory. Aye, but in its victory it destroyed itself. There are three things in Christ that Death never met with before, all of which are fatal to it. There was in Christ innocence. Now; as long as man was innocent, he could not die. Adam lived as long as he was innocent. Now Christ was about to die; but Death sucked in innocent blood; he sucked in his own poison and he died.
Again, blessedness is that which takes away the sting of death. Now Christ, even when he was dying, was "God over all, blessed for ever." All that Death had ever killed before was under the curse; but this man was never by nature under the curse, because for our sakes he was not born into this world a cursed man. He was the seed of woman it is true, but still not of carnal generation. He did come under the curse when he took upon himself our sins, but not for his own sins. He was in himself blessed. Death sucked in blessed blood: he had never done that before—all others have been under the curse—and that slew Death. It was innocence combined with blessedness that was the destruction of Death.
Yet another thing. Death had never met before with any man who had life in himself. But when Death drank Christ's blood it drank life. For his blood is the life of the soul, and is the seed of life eternal. Wheresoever it goeth, doth it not give life to the dead? And Death, finding that it had drunk into its own veins life in the form of Jesus' blood gave up the ghost; and Death itself is dead, for Christ hath destroyed it, by the sacrifice of himself; he hath put it away; he hath said, "Oh death, where is thy sting? oh grave, where is thy victory?" But now, since it was from these very wounds that Death sucked in its own death, and that hell was destroyed; since these were the only weapons of a weaponless Redeemer, he wears and bears them as his trophies in heaven.” Charles Spurgeon,
The Wounds of Jesus
If there is a certain trial or pain that you are struggling with in your life, and it seems difficult or near impossible to go through, dear Christian, look to Christ. His grace is sufficient to save us on the day of Judgment, if we believe in him, and his grace is sufficient for us for this moment. In him we have every hope, because he has the victory over sin and death. Be not tempted to live in defeat, but enter into the triumph of our Lord and Saviour.
ii) he demonstrated and proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6, 8)
We must live by faith and not by sight. We trust that his grace is sufficient for us in our weakness, that the Spirit intercedes for us and helps us in our weakness. When we go through trials, we cling to the Word of God, and look to Jesus. (Hebrews 12)
2) Jesus has overcome
Victory is won
If Jesus Christ can do nothing about death, then whatever else he can do amounts to nothing. "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:19 But praise be to God! Jesus is risen. Continue reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-32
Hebrews 2:14-18
The fear of death keeps us in bondage throughout our lives, but Jesus has overcome death.
“For do you not know it was from the side of Jesus that Death sucked its death. Jesus did hang upon the cross, and Death thought to get the victory. Aye, but in its victory it destroyed itself. There are three things in Christ that Death never met with before, all of which are fatal to it. There was in Christ innocence. Now; as long as man was innocent, he could not die. Adam lived as long as he was innocent. Now Christ was about to die; but Death sucked in innocent blood; he sucked in his own poison and he died.
Again, blessedness is that which takes away the sting of death. Now Christ, even when he was dying, was "God over all, blessed for ever." All that Death had ever killed before was under the curse; but this man was never by nature under the curse, because for our sakes he was not born into this world a cursed man. He was the seed of woman it is true, but still not of carnal generation. He did come under the curse when he took upon himself our sins, but not for his own sins. He was in himself blessed. Death sucked in blessed blood: he had never done that before—all others have been under the curse—and that slew Death. It was innocence combined with blessedness that was the destruction of Death.
Yet another thing. Death had never met before with any man who had life in himself. But when Death drank Christ's blood it drank life. For his blood is the life of the soul, and is the seed of life eternal. Wheresoever it goeth, doth it not give life to the dead? And Death, finding that it had drunk into its own veins life in the form of Jesus' blood gave up the ghost; and Death itself is dead, for Christ hath destroyed it, by the sacrifice of himself; he hath put it away; he hath said, "Oh death, where is thy sting? oh grave, where is thy victory?" But now, since it was from these very wounds that Death sucked in its own death, and that hell was destroyed; since these were the only weapons of a weaponless Redeemer, he wears and bears them as his trophies in heaven.” Charles Spurgeon,
The Wounds of Jesus
If there is a certain trial or pain that you are struggling with in your life, and it seems difficult or near impossible to go through, dear Christian, look to Christ. His grace is sufficient to save us on the day of Judgment, if we believe in him, and his grace is sufficient for us for this moment. In him we have every hope, because he has the victory over sin and death. Be not tempted to live in defeat, but enter into the triumph of our Lord and Saviour.
“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-58
John 10 Jesus the good shepherd.
Hey Guys im sorry that the lesson is up so late.
This week's lesson is on John Chapter 10, about the story of bobo sheep who like to wander and a very patient and loving Good Shepherd.
We will only be covering from John chapter 10 verse 1 all the way to verse 21 only.
Learning Points:
1) With reference to verse 10, only the good shepherd can not only meet but go beyond our human need of safety. But give us abundance in life.
2) Jesus the good shepherd, not only knows and cares his sheep. He dies for his sheep.
Tuner:
Prepare some blind folds
Back ground info:
The start of chapter ten happens immediately and as a continuation from the story of Chapter nine. This means that Jesus was still talking to the Pharisees from Chapter nine who threw the blind man out of the community.
Jesus was using the imagery of a shepherd because in the Jewish mind a "shepherd" was any kind of leader, especially spiritual leaders. People looked to kings and prophets as shepherds. Jesus used such imagery and descriptions that the Pharisees and the Jews who were around could identify with and understand.
Read John 10:1-6.
Jesus opened his sermon by talking about a sheepfold, a gate, a watchman, sheep, a shepherd.
A sheepfold was usually an enclosure made of rocks with an opening for the door. The true shepherd comes in through the door. Thieves and robbers could never enter the door cause there is a watchman there. So what they would have to do is climb over the wall or some illegal way. Thats not the only problem. Even if they did get into the sheepfold, they could never get the sheep to follow them. For the sheep would follow only the voice of their own shepherd. The false shepherds can never lead the sheep, so they must steal them away.
The listeners could not understand what Jesus was saying or what he meant. So Jesus followed on his symbolic illustration with an application in verses 7 to 10.
Read John 10:7-10
In this context, the sheep pen or sheep fold that Jesus is referring to is the nation of Israel.
We are the sheep.
The false shepherds and robbers are the Pharisees. The thief is Satan.
In these 3 verses Jesus talks about being the door. In verse 9, Jesus says I am the door,whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
This means that because Jesus is the Door of the sheep pen, it makes it possible for the sheep to leave the fold (the religion of Juadaism) and to enter His flock. The Pharisees threw the beggar out of the synagogue but Jesus led him out of Juadism and into the flock of God and you FIND PASTURE.
As the door, Jesus delivers sinners from bondage and leads them into freedom. They have salvation. The word saved in verse 9 means to be delivered safe and sound. In the context of when a person has recovered from severe illness and survived a war being saved from of something of that magnitude.
As such this is kind of my own interpretation, i dont know if it is right. The sheep fold is as good as the law. The law is good. The law protects us. It also kills us if we just stayed inside of it, if we just continue to keep the law/ stay in the sheep fold. Cause we as sheep can never just stay in the sheep pen, we love to wander. We trot along and end up tripping over our own legs and falling into a large cave with a sleep wolf inside it. oh dear me... Yeah and also how even if we stayed inside the law or the sheep pen it will kill us.
BUT thats where the Good Shepherd FULFILLS the requirements of the sheep's need for protection. Not only does he meet the need of protection and have safety. But in like verse 9 says, whoever enters through me will be saved. True safety can only be found by following the Good Shepherd. by being with the Good shepherd. Not in a sheep fold alone. Not only will we be truly safe but we will also find pasture.
Mr John Piper: None of us wants to be merely safe. We were not created merely to be safe. The human heart wants infinitely more than safety. O yes, safety is basic and necessary. We want to be protected from what can destroy us. We want life. Life. But we want more than mere life. We want abundant life. Overflowing life. Deep life. Weighty life. Joyful life. We don't just want to survive. We want to thrive. At every level of our human being. We were made for this.
Application and questions:
1) Are we as sheep do we try to find security in something else other than the good Shepherd? If yes, then we are really not safe at all.
2) Are we enjoying our fellowship with our Good Shepherd. Or do we treat him merely as a safety protection in our times of need? Are we just viewing him as a sheep fold? God wants so much more for you! He wants to fellowship with you and for you to enjoy him.
Ok i shall go and get a root beer ice cream float and then we can go on to the next part. We will be talking about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. Exciting haha.
ahhhh refreshing.... ok back.
ahhhh refreshing.... ok back.
Jesus the Good Shepherd.
Read John 10: 11-13
In these few verses Jesus explains why he is the Good shepherd. Not just any shepherd but the Good Shepherd. Not a Good Shepherd but THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
Jesus began by contrasting Himself to the Phrasiees the false Shepherds who were in charge of the Jewish Religion of the day. He had already called them thieves and robbers and now he is describing them as hirelings.
Hirelings are people who are hired to take care of the sheep. If a wolf or a thief comes and attack the sheep. The hireling would not risk his life to save a sheep. He doesnt own the sheep. He would rather save his own skin and just run. But look at verse 11. Jesus says he is THE GOOD SHEPHERD cause he lays down his life for the sheep.
1) Jesus is the Good Shepherd cause he laid down his life for a sheep.
Now if you were a shepherd would you sacrifice your life for a single sheep? Please note that you have thousands of sheep. Your wool business would still continue if one sheep is eaten up. No right? Its just mind blowing that a shepherd a human would risk his life for one sheep.
This brings the romans 5:7 verse ( "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die." ) to a whole new level.
Very rarely would a human die for another human, so that makes like a human dying for a sheep like what? Impossible? I mean its not even heard of or wouldnt even cross a human's mind. Imagine you read in the papers one day with the head lines. Shepherd dies while saving A sheep. You would think to yourself. What in the world is this Shepherd thinking? Thats just absurd. And that is exactly how absurd Jesus's love is for us. If you really put things in context. Jesus is God. We are mortals. Jesus is like a human. We are like sheep. Hands down this has to got to be the best Shepherd in the world. This is the first reason why Jesus wins the Good Shepherd Title hands down.
This describes our relationship with Jesus as a Shepherd. We are sheep cause we are defenceless and prone to wander and must often be searched for. We are also clean animals unlike pigs and dogs (2nd peter 2:20-22) (i did not know that)
The pharisees are hirelings cause they have no loving concern for sheep. Look at how they treated the blind beggar in chapter 9 and look at how Jesus found him and cared for him.
2) Jesus is the Good Shepherd cause he knows his sheep
Read John 10:14-16 and John 10:3
The word knows speaks of the intimate relationship that you have with God. The Shepherd knows his sheep personally. In Verse 3, we see that Jesus knows our name. He knows every single one of the 10000 billion sheep by name. He also knows the nature of each sheep. He as the Good Shepherd will consider these special needs as he tends the flock. That is why the sheep need not fear, even through valleys. Cause the shepherd is caring for them and meeting their needs.
We as sheep also know him. We recognise his voice. Whether we choose to follow his voice is a different thing although. We get to know Jesus the Good Shepherd better by listening to His voice( The word) and experiencing His daily care. As the sheep follows the Shepherd, they learn to love and trust him.
Sub points to note:
Other Sheep into the flock (Verse 16)
There are other sheep out there who belongs to Jesus the Good Shepherd because the Father gave them to him. He will bring them into the flock as well. The one flock with one Shepherd. Hence the importance of spreading the good news to other sheep. God allows us to be part of his plan to bring others into the flock.
Jesus being the door and the Good Shepherd, would also mean division. A door shuts some people in and others out. He being the Good Shepherd will also separate the sheep from the goats. It is impossible to be neutral about Jesus Christ.
Yup thats the end. Sorry guys that this is so late.
The pharisees are hirelings cause they have no loving concern for sheep. Look at how they treated the blind beggar in chapter 9 and look at how Jesus found him and cared for him.
2) Jesus is the Good Shepherd cause he knows his sheep
Read John 10:14-16 and John 10:3
The word knows speaks of the intimate relationship that you have with God. The Shepherd knows his sheep personally. In Verse 3, we see that Jesus knows our name. He knows every single one of the 10000 billion sheep by name. He also knows the nature of each sheep. He as the Good Shepherd will consider these special needs as he tends the flock. That is why the sheep need not fear, even through valleys. Cause the shepherd is caring for them and meeting their needs.
We as sheep also know him. We recognise his voice. Whether we choose to follow his voice is a different thing although. We get to know Jesus the Good Shepherd better by listening to His voice( The word) and experiencing His daily care. As the sheep follows the Shepherd, they learn to love and trust him.
Sub points to note:
Other Sheep into the flock (Verse 16)
There are other sheep out there who belongs to Jesus the Good Shepherd because the Father gave them to him. He will bring them into the flock as well. The one flock with one Shepherd. Hence the importance of spreading the good news to other sheep. God allows us to be part of his plan to bring others into the flock.
Jesus being the door and the Good Shepherd, would also mean division. A door shuts some people in and others out. He being the Good Shepherd will also separate the sheep from the goats. It is impossible to be neutral about Jesus Christ.
Yup thats the end. Sorry guys that this is so late.
John Chapter 9
John 9
Learning Points:
- 1. Love the main focus when dealing with problems.
- 2. The Good Shepherd
Point 1: Love the main focus when dealing with problems
Read John 9:1-12
Back ground information: It was on the Sabbath when Jesus
healed the man (John 9:14); this upset the religious leaders.
In the beginning of the story, the disciples pondered about
the reason behind the man’s blindness (9:2) What we can see here, is that there
is a difference between what Jesus saw and what the disciples and religious
leaders saw. Was the man a subject for theological discussion, or should we look
at him as a chance to minister God’s love to?
Alex: If we place this principle in today’s context. There
was a recent video of Pastor Kong from City harvest church circulating the
Internet. It shows many Christians arguing about how Pastor Kong was. That is
Theology is off. Many Christians joined
in, either by tearing him down or distancing the rest of the Christian body
with City Harvest. I must admit that in my head I was having judgmental thoughts.
What really struck me was that I found
an article also circulating the internet defending Pastor Kong. At the end of
the article I found out, a Buddhist wrote it.
Christians are tearing a fellow Christian down and a Buddhist is
defending. That was really sad. God really spoke to me through that incident.
Question: when we deal with Theological differences or
difference in ideals and beliefs. How should we go about doing so?
John 9:3-4 tells us that
1. The reason for illness or pain is not for us to decide
(We do not have the authority) ; only God knows.
2. Jesus did not suggest that God had deliberately made the
man blind so that Jesus could perform a miracle.
3. What we should
rejoice in is the fact that God’s power is displayed through the healing. Jesus
also used different manners of healing the blind (Matthew 9:27-31, Mark
8:22-26) because it isn’t the manner of healing that matters; but rather,
therein lies the precious message of the power of the Lord.
The significance of the clay to heal the blind can be found
in two ways:
1.
It represented incarnation.
The first man was made out of dust, and God
sent his Son as a real man.
2.
It
represented irritation.
The convicting work of the Holy Spirit is
as compelling as having to wash away dirt in your eye. The Holy Spirit brings
the lost sinner under judgment.
Ask “who”, not “how”
Look at:
1.
Nicodemus wanted to know how he could reenter
his mother’s womb (John 3:4,9)
2.
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
(John 6:52)
When we see something
happening, we tend to wonder how that
happened, when we should be looking at who
made it happen. This may be because we fail to realize that He is actually
omnipotent; all logic is thrown out when it comes to considering what the Lord can
do. So, we limit ourselves, when all we really need to know is that He is the
Lord, He is omnipotent, He cares for us.
Fear of Man vs Fear
of the Lord
John 9: 18-23
Another issue here, is fear of man versus fear of the Lord. When
Pharisees began interrogating the parents of the beggar, they told the truth
for things that would not implicate their well-being (“He is our son”), but
fearfully evaded questioning when it started to get dangerous for them (“He is
of age; ask him). Although this was no outright lie, answering the question in
the positive or negative has two different outcomes: 1. The Pharisees’ wrath,
their earthly condemnation, and God’s pleasure at being glorified through their
words, or, 2. God not being glorified through their words.
(John 5:44) What type of glory do we seek?
We also see this in John 7:13 and John 12:42
Are we there only when it is convenient? Which is the
decisional factor: Man’s acceptance or God’s pleasure? We cannot serve two
masters. “The fear of Man brings a snare” (Proverbs 29:25)
Point 2: Believing as a Result
of the Works of the Good Shepherd
John 9:35-41
Jesus identified Himself as the Son of God (John 9:35, 5:25)
and the beggar believed and was saved (John 9:38). “My sheep hear my voice”
(John 10:27).
Contrast John 9:39 and John 3:16-17. The reason for our
Lord’s coming was salvation, but the result of His coming was condemnation of
those who would not believe. The Pharisees were blind due to their pride,
self-righteousness, tradition and false interpretation of the Word. They chose
to be blind to the glory of the Lord : John 9:41à
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that
you claim you can see, your guilt remains”. In contrast, the beggar was
physically blind and spiritually blind, yet both his eyes and heart were
opened. This was because he listened to the Word, believed, obeyed and
experienced the grace of God. The difference is found in John 7:17à If anyone chooses to
do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I
speak on my own.
And all this happens with the work of the Holy Spirit! J
Questions:
1) How was it
possible that religiously trained leaders were so blind to who Jesus was?
2) What are our
spiritual blind spots? How can you be receptive to Jesus’s illumination in that
area?
Done by Gail
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