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John 10 - The Life You've Always Wanted!

John 10 - NIV Verses for the Day 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep Commentary As I have mentioned a few times, the gospel of John uses " I am" statements to signify that Jesus is truly God. They also point to unique attributes of who he is and what he does for us.  Today Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd ".  The shepherd motif was a popular one in Jesus' day, because so many men were...

John 9 - I Was Blind But Now I See!

  Key Verses Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind 9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.  8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 1...

John 8 - The Truth Will Set You Free!

John 8 - NIV John 8 - Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Commentary When Jesus said, " If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples ", he meant that being his follower is not just about words but about a way of life. It seems as though these Jews had already taken a step toward believing in Jesus. Now he lets them know that if they are going to follow him, they are going to need tol make a commitment to obeying his teachings. Their thoughts, wo...

John 7 - Does Your Life Make People Curious About Jesus?

John 7 - NIV John 7 - Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day - John 7:14-18 Jesus Teaches at the Festival 14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”  16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.  Commentary You may not be familiar with the Feast of Tabernacles, so here are some facts about it.  1. It was a seven day feast, celebrated 5 days after Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in the Fall. 2. The tabernacles were symbol of the the booths God provided for the Israelites to live in the wilde...

John 6 - Pass the Bread!

John 6 - NIV John 6 - Enduring Word Commentary Key Verse - John 6:35 "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." Commentary This is one of seven "I am" statements that Jesus made about himself in John's gospel. They not only reveal Jesus' divine nature, but also reveal the role he plays in our lives. Today, Jesus says, after feeding the the 5,000, "I am the bread of life. " Although Jesus met a very important physical need when he fed the 5,000, they would get hungry again. But if they believed in Jesus, they would never be hungry again.  Bread was a staple in Jesus' life and very symbolic in Israel's history, as when the Israelites wandered in the wildnerness, God provided daily manna for them. They were a sign of God's provision and also an affirmation of Moses' leadership.  A little earlier in this passage Jesus describes the unique na...

John 5 - If Everyone Rises from the Dead, What Happens Next?

John 5 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary - John 5 Verses for the Day - John 5:24-30 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. Commentary In verse 16, Jesus starts teaching about the authority that He and ...

John 4 - Meet the First Evangelist in the Church

John 4 - NIV John 4 - Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Commentary One of the things I love about Jesus, which reveals the nature of God, is how inclusive he is. He seems to love the " underdog ...