John by Gary DeLashmutt (2012)

Who is Jesus? This is an important question for non-Christians seeking an informed faith in Jesus or for Christians trying to supplement their own knowledge of Jesus' life. There are seven titles of Jesus that help summarize his role and set him apart from other religious founders. Jesus is the only truth and the only one who knows our problems and yet still loves us and focuses on our potential as disciples; he will reward those who seek him with sincerity.

Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding in Cana of turning water into wine. This miracle reveals three important aspects of Jesus' character. First, Jesus is life affirming and his existence enables joy in our life. Second, he is a humble servant who uses his authority to serve in a non-boisterous way. Third, he replaces external religion with internal life; this is deliberately symbolized by the way he performs the miracle.

When approached by Nicodemus, Jesus teaches about the new birth: an event that enables us to enter and perceive God's kingdom. Jesus makes it clear that each and every person needs this new birth. God makes rebirth available through His Son's death on the cross and it is received by faith in Jesus, no amount of works are sufficient. Even though the message is simple and just, many people refuse it out of a prideful moral fear of their life being changed and their sins being exposed.

Jesus initiates a conversation with a Samaritan woman drawing water out of a well and tells her about "living water". Living water is a synonym for salvation that comes from Jesus, it is abundantly available to whoever asks and is essential for spiritual life. The woman accepts Jesus and immediately shares the news with her village. Our greatest privilege is sharing this living water with others and the act of sharing is very important for a vibrant spiritual life.

Jesus heals a paralyzed man and tells him to get up and carry his mat home. When challenged for breaking the Sabbath, Jesus says he is always working and obeying his Father and has the authority to forgive sins and grant eternal life. These polarizing claims can be supported by trustworthy witnesses like John the Baptist, witnesses who have been changed or healed by Jesus, and by God's Word through scripture. Two common reasons for rejecting Jesus are given: 1) seeking other people's approval over God's approval; 2) belief that good works are enough and Jesus' forgiveness is unnecessary.

Jesus multiplies food provided by a small boy to feed thousands of people, illustrating that if we make ourselves available he will nourish us spiritually and meet the world's needs. Jesus claims he is the bread of life who can give eternal life to any who believe in him and accept his gift. The reactions of the crowd and the disciples to Jesus' teaching show that as followers of Jesus we often have selfish expectations. Our spiritual life and closeness with Jesus hinge on whether we accept these hard teachings or not.

Jesus' identity and message can be hard to swallow; controversy and conflict over him is caused not by the amount of evidence but by unwillingness to accept God's leadership. At a festival he stands up and proclaims that he is the festival's fulfillment and the true river of spiritual life. There is a difference between drinking once and receiving the spirit forever and drinking regularly to be full of God's love, which can done by serving and loving in a Christian community.

Jesus claims to be the source of true freedom, however many people struggle with what true freedom really means. Many people view freedom as freedom from slavery or freedom to do whatever we want, but Jesus portrays freedom as escaping sin and self focus through serving God and others. Part of attaining this freedom involves entrusting oneself to Jesus, but moving closer towards this requires living as a student of Jesus' word. Regularly reading scripture, keeping a focus on God's promises, and acting on Jesus' direction to love others are all ways to obtain more of this freedom.

Jesus backs up his claim to be the light of the world by giving a blind man sight. The blind man receives not only sight but also spiritual insight because he was open to instruction and responds to Jesus, while the Pharisees become more blind through their rejection of this miracle. Willingness to change and humility to admit blind spots is the key to growing spiritually while ignoring counsel and prideful stubbornness can poison spiritual health.

Using a shepherding analogy, Jesus makes two claims. He claims he is the door: the only way to be saved and the only way to experience an abundant love relationship with God. He gives us further reason to follow him by claiming to be the good shepherd: A master with a good character who knows you, loves you, and would die for you. Trusting God's Will in our life is truly the way to fulfillment, and a big part of this is obeying Jesus' call to be a good under-shepherd and work for his church. Includes excerpt from Watchman Nee's "The Normal Christian Life".

Jesus washed the disciples' feet, and he tells us how we can wash one another's feet as well. We go through life and bring home with us the dust and grime of living in a spiritually hostile deadening world. This is when we need to go to God to have our feet cleaned and to be refreshed by Him. We are also tasked with doing something like this with each other. Washing each others feet by confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another, and bearing each other's burdens. This is vastly different to our culture's idea of going to church and refreshing each other.

Jesus teaches that the Christian life is the Spirit-filled life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to love others as only Jesus can. We have not been left orphaned here, but can be secure in God's love through the promise and seal of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us in personal tutoring of God. Without the Holy Spirit the things of God would be foolishness to us.

How often do we rely on the Holy Spirit to show us opportunities to share Christ with those around us? Even more so, how often are we praying to be able to share Christ effectively? Paul and the apostles knew the power of the Holy Spirit and knew to pray for what they needed - whether that was boldness, to preach clearly, or opportunities to share Christ. This same Spirit is available to all believers in Christ as a helper to us in this fallen world.

How often do we turn to God to pray for direction from the Holy Spirit? Many of us try to go it alone. God has given us the Spirit as a helper and He can supply the opportunity but we must be praying to see these opportunities and pray for the words to say through the Spirit. Teaching includes sharing from the audience on "How does involvement with other Christians help us to cultivate this lifestyle?"

Jesus' purpose was to display God's glory through his life on earth. We desire glory for ourselves and often put others down because we think that is how we will experience glory. If we act in love as God designed us we can truly experience glory through God. This teaching features a recording of Steve Harvey introducing Jesus.

Jesus is arrested and begins the process that will end with the crucifixion. When faced with this suffering Jesus endures by fixing his mind on his future glory with God. In times of adversity, believers can fix their minds on heaven to instill hope in this life.

In the course of Jesus' trials, he is taken before four courts. This teaching focuses on the trials before Pilate and the high priest Annas. Typical judicial practices are violated by Jesus' accusers as they desire his death on a cross above all else. Jesus went through a willing separation from his Father so that humanity could be in a relationship with God.

John focuses on the prophecy that was fulfilled through Jesus' crucifixion and the emotional suffering he endured. In addition to the physical pain of crucifixion detailed in Psalm 22, Jesus endured the pain of being separated from his Father so he could pay for the sins of all humanity. Jesus' purpose as the Son of God was woven throughout history and John highlights the consistency of God's plan.

Jesus is resurrected from the dead. He reveals God's plan for his relationship with humanity: 1) through Christ's sacrifice we can be in a love relationship with God; 2) Christianity is missional and purposeful; 3) Christianity is a religion of conversion. Jesus appears to his followers and they respond in various ways that highlight humanity's responses to Christ's resurrection as well.

Jesus interacts with Peter concerning his denial of Christ. Jesus leads him to take ownership of his failure and gives him a vision of restoration. It is difficult to acknowledge failure. We would rather blame shift, minimize, or rationalize than take responsibility, but God can use even our failure for good.

Jesus concludes his interaction with Peter with two main lessons: 1) following Jesus means giving up being the solo director or your life; and 2) we are not to compare our own lot with other believers. Comparison is lethal to relationships and the New Testament highlights a few ways to transform this tendency. To have a healthy focus, we should compare what we have been given to what we actually deserve from God.