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John 20 - You Can't Put A Price on This Peace!

John 20 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Verses for Today Jesus Appears to His Disciples 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  Commentary Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene, as John writes in verses 11 - 18, and he appeared also to Peter before he appeared to the eleven (which included Peter). We don't have the details of when or how Jesus appeared to Peter, but in Luke 24:33-34, the men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus said this,  "They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared t...

John 19 - 90% of Life Is Showing Up!

John 19 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary As we read about the last day of Jesus' life on earth,  we know all of his disciples had deserted him. So who was there for him? The people who were there for Jesus on his last day were not the people you might have expected save his mother. So let's see who showed up on Good Friday! 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. We might call them the "three Mary's". Of course, you have Jesus' mother, Mary. It is hard to imagine the pain she was in. Though she might have believed that he would be raised again from the dead, this wasn't on her mind now. All she could see was her precious son beating whipped, scouraged, moc...

John 18 - I AM!

John 18 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Verses for the Day 4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.  “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.  8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go. Commentary Throughout the book of John, I have been referring to the importance of Jesus' "I am" statements . I.e. " I am the bread of life" , "I am the resurrection and the life", "I am the living water", "I am the bread of life", "I am the good shepherd", "I am the way, the truth, and the life."   All of these taken together show that Jesus is not shy in declaring his divinity. None of these statements ...

John 17 - Do You Know God? How Would You Know?

Click Here to Read John 17 Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. Enduring Word Quotes I n this world we are familiar with the truth that it is a blessing and an inspiration to know certain people. Much more is it the case when we know God.” (Morris) That they may know You: “In the Greek the verb is in the present subjunctive indicating the ‘knowledge’ is a growing experience.” (Tasker) Commentary What I have found in this life is that our quality of life is determined by the quality of relationships we have. While material things can give you enjoyment, they often lose their lustre. Or, you need the newest or better version to keep you happy. Relationships also lost their lustre when you stop investing ...

John 16 - Why the Disciples Didn't Get It?

John 16 - NIV   Enduring Word Commentary Verses of the Day 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Commentary  The disciples could only handle so much of what Jesus was teaching them. In a lot of ways they weren't getting what Jesus had already taught them. They misunderstood why he was going to the cross. They misunderstood the kind of kingdom he was ushering in. They misunderstood that three days after he died, he would rise from the dead. They misunderstood that they would be the ones to lead the church into the future.   Part of the re...

John 15 - Discipleship is Not A Program!

John 15 - NIV Key Verses:  15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Commentary If you are looking for the best verses in the bible about the secret to spiritual growth and being an effective Christian, these five verses are right at the top. While there are many other great verses on the keys to becoming a mature Christian, this teaching is straight from Jesus himself. So I think we should start there when we are looking at being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.  ...

John 14 - Don't Be Ignorant of the Holy Spirit!

John 14 - NIV Enduring Word Commentary Key Verses for Today  Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." John 14:15-17 Commentary Chapter 14 begins what we call Jesus' " Upper Room Discourse ". His teaching to the disicples goes through chapter 17. It is the last time he will address the disciples, so what he was vitally important to them and to us today. The next four chapters have so many things I could comment on, so I would advise you to take the time to read through them and maybe even read the Enduring Word Commentary.  In two days we will celebrate Easter, where we shout, "He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed" ! While this is the most important event in human history, 50 da...